France Blames Iran for Massive Cyberattack on Supermarket Fridges, Seeks EU Sanctions

France has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of orchestrating a major cyberattack that disrupted refrigeration systems in hundreds of supermarkets across the country, damaging food stocks and causing losses worth millions of euros.

The French government on Monday said it would seek European Union sanctions against those responsible and summoned the Iranian ambassador to lodge a strong protest over what it described as an unprecedented act of cyber sabotage.

The attack, carried out on October 12, targeted refrigeration systems in supermarkets and independent stores across France. Hackers remotely took control of the equipment, causing temperatures inside refrigerators and freezers to soar to 50 degrees Celsius for nearly six hours.

The disruption affected around 700 of France's 10,000 supermarkets, forcing retailers to discard large quantities of fresh and frozen food that could no longer be considered safe for consumption.

Supermarket chain Intermarche reported losses running into tens of millions of euros in a single day.

Paris prosecutors said preliminary investigations pointed to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as being behind the operation. Investigators reportedly identified the use of the Persian language (Farsi) and internet protocol (IP) addresses associated with devices located in Iran.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced that a formal judicial investigation had been opened into suspected organised cybercrime allegedly carried out in the interests of a foreign power.

The investigation specifically names Shahid Kaveh, described as the head of an Iranian cyber unit affiliated with the IRGC, along with two of his deputies and other potential suspects. Prosecutors are also seeking international arrest warrants.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Iranian ambassador had been summoned to convey France's strong objection to the incident.

Calling it the first large-scale cyberattack aimed at sabotage on French soil, Barrot said the incident posed a serious threat to France's national interests and public security.

He warned that the country would pursue European-level sanctions against those responsible and consider additional measures to prevent similar attacks.