Tehran (dpa) – Israel and the United States are to blame for a cyberattack this week that shut down petrol pumps across Iran, the country’s cybersecurity chief said according to media reports on Sunday.
«The investigations are still under way, but, according to our assessments, the Americans and the Zionists [Israelis] are definitely behind this,» said Gholamreza Jalali.
On Tuesday, customers were not able to refuel at petrol stations using a subsidy card. Without the card, the fuel was twice as expensive.
The disruption caused long queues at petrol stations in the capital Tehran and other cities. Iran initially spoke of a «technical defect,» but later confirmed the cyberattack.
Israel and the US have both carried out cyberattacks on Iran in the past, sometimes causing significant financial problems.
Iran initially blamed a technical defect, but soon decried a cyberattack.
However, an Iranian hacker group has already claimed responsibility for the attack on the petrol stations. The group, whose name translates to Predatory Sparrow, said the action was linked to the 2019 unrest over increased petrol prices and a protest against the killing and detention of hundreds of protesters.
The group is also said to have carried out hacking attacks on the national railway network and even the surveillance cameras of the notorious Evin prison in recent months.
