Iran Rejects French Blame for Supermarket Cyberattack as Paris Seeks Sanctions

Iran officially rejected French claims on Tuesday that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, was responsible for a significant cyberattack on hundreds of supermarkets in France last month. As part of this diplomatic friction, Paris summoned Tehran's ambassador to discuss the incident. The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement categorically rejecting what it described as baseless and one-sided accusations. The ministry further expressed strong condemnation for what it called a repeated policy of blaming the Islamic Republic for cyber activities in France.

The cyberattack in question began in the early hours of October 12, 2026. During this incident, the temperature settings in refrigerators and freezer units at numerous supermarket locations were manipulated. This disruption led to the spoilage of food products and caused fires in a few isolated cases. Following this initial event, similar incidents have occurred across Europe and other regions. These included a recent failed attack on cooling units at French blood banks, although it remains unclear whether these subsequent events are directly connected to the first attack.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot addressed the situation on Tuesday, stating that his government would rule out no options in its response. He indicated that France would take all necessary and proportionate measures to deter future attacks, including steps that might not be made public immediately. These comments were made during a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris. The meeting included discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the broader conflict with Iran. Barrot noted that despite a shift in tone from the Trump administration following the US midterm election defeat, the risk of renewed escalation with Iran remains a significant concern.

In addition to summoning the ambassador, France announced its intention to seek sanctions at the European level. The European Union stated that it aims to provide a swift and united response, pending further discussions with member states. Anouar El Anouni, an EU spokesman, emphasized that the bloc consistently calls on states to avoid malicious behavior in cyberspace. He confirmed that the EU would utilize all available tools, including its cyber diplomacy toolbox and sanctions, to address such activities. Barrot added that the primary goal of any response is to deter any party, whether in Iran or elsewhere, from attempting similar actions again.

Tehran indicated that it would not hesitate to take necessary measures to protect its national interests and security if sanctions were imposed. The Iranian government accused France of projecting its own governance failures onto external actors. A sharp criticism was leveled at the French government, with officials suggesting that a state unable to manage the temperature of its own refrigerators was shifting blame to foreign entities through preposterous accusations.

The legal proceedings in France have also progressed. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Monday that an investigation had been opened into leading members of Shahid Kaveh. This group is a cyber unit within the IRGC that reports directly to Iran's religious leadership. Beccuau stated that her office had requested arrest warrants for two officials from Shahid Kaveh and is investigating others. She described the unit as an offensive cyber force affiliated with the IRGC's Electronic and Cyber Center.

French cyber intelligence agencies reported that this unit has conducted large-scale campaigns targeting industrial equipment for sabotage. While the unit primarily targets Israel and the United States, France and other European nations are also within its scope. Beccuau detailed that the attack affected approximately 700 of France's 10,000 supermarkets. The attackers used web interfaces to trigger abnormal and indefinite defrost cycles while simultaneously disabling automated sensor alerts that are designed to notify staff when temperatures rise above safe levels.

Looking ahead, Sweden's Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin warned that more cyberattacks could be expected in the coming months. He attributed this increased risk to AI tools, which make it easier to detect and exploit system vulnerabilities. Bohlin noted that it is too early to determine if hacks targeting Swedish supermarkets last week are linked to the French incident. He observed that the specific type of sabotage used in France would have been easy to copy after initial reports emerged in October.