‘Unable to manage fridges’: Iran mocks France over supermarket cyberattack
The operation targeted temperature controls in commercial refrigeration systems on the night of October 11-12, affecting around 700 establishments across France. At least 15 fires were also reported after refrigeration units were affected.
Tehran has rejected the allegations, with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi mocking the French government for being “unable to manage fridges”. French authorities said a joint investigation by intelligence and cybersecurity agencies had identified Shahid Kaveh, an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the IRGC’s Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defence Organization, as responsible for the attacks. The hackers remotely altered the temperature settings of refrigeration units, resulting in widespread food spoilage worth tens of millions of euros, according to French authorities. In a statement, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs described the operation as an act of “unprecedented scale and aggressiveness” and said it was the first offensive cyber campaign aimed purely at causing physical damage on French soil. “Following investigations, France is now in a position to attribute these destructive actions to Iran: they were carried out by SHAHID KAVEH, an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the ministry said. “Unable to manage fridges let alone addressing grievances of its people, French government is shifting blame for its failures onto others,” Araghchi said in a post on social media platform X. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Iran’s ambassador had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry to receive a formal protest. The French government said it was considering further diplomatic measures and reserved the right to take both “public and non-public” countermeasures.
A diplomatic row has erupted between France and Iran after Paris accused an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) cyber unit of carrying out attacks that disrupted refrigeration systems across hundreds of supermarkets in France. Paris also warned that the European Union could impose additional sanctions on Iranian entities and individuals linked to the operation.