Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the unprecedented attacks targeted 700 sites across France on October 11 and 12.
France has accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the Islamic Republic of Iran of carrying out cyberattacks on supermarket refrigeration systems. According to reports from Firstpost, Al Jazeera, and Times Now, the attacks occurred on October 11 and 12 and targeted 700 sites across France.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated the incident was unprecedented in scale and aggression, marking the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French territory. The intrusions caused temperatures to rise as high as 50 degrees Celsius, leading to fires, damaged equipment, and the loss of millions of euros worth of perishable food.
The Paris prosecutor's office has launched a judicial investigation into Shahid Kaveh, an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the IRGC-CEC. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the probe is examining the role of the unit's head and two deputies, and has requested international arrest warrants against them.
Major retailers including E-Leclerc, Intermarche, Carrefour, Monoprix, and Cooperative U were affected. Specifically, Carrefour reported 80 supermarkets were hit, while more than 100 Cooperative U stores were targeted. Monoprix reported that approximately 5 per cent of its 490 stores were affected.
France has summoned the Iranian ambassador to Paris to lodge a formal protest. Barrot said the government will implement sanctions at the European level against those responsible and take other necessary and proportionate measures to deter future incidents.
Similar disruptions were reported on November 2 in at least nine other European countries, including Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Sweden. It remains unclear if these incidents are connected to the French attacks.
