French officials accuse Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of carrying out the attacks that affected refrigerators in hundreds of supermarkets

French officials suspect Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was behind cyberattacks that affected refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets across France in October. The incidents caused significant losses after refrigerators and freezers became unusable, and large quantities of meat, ice cream and other products were discarded.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that the Iranian ambassador had been summoned to provide explanations. Paris warned that the European Union could impose new sanctions on Tehran. The accusations were made after investigators began publicly examining Iran’s involvement in the attacks.

The October 11 incident targeted the electronic systems that regulate the temperature of commercial equipment. Some units overheated and caught fire. Specialists say the attacks may not have been sophisticated, possibly facilitated by old equipment and outdated software. Nationwide losses could reach tens of millions of euros.

A second wave of attacks subsequently affected more than 100 sites in several European countries, including refrigerators used by blood banks in France. Iran consistently rejects accusations of hostile cyber operations. Reuters notes that the link between the European incidents and similar problems reported in U.S. military stores has not been independently confirmed, and investigations are continuing.