French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of carrying out a cyberattack that targeted refrigeration systems at around 700 stores across France in October, resulting in the destruction of large quantities of food.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Barrot described the attack as “unprecedented in its scale and aggressiveness,” calling it the first large-scale cyber operation aimed at carrying out acts of sabotage on French soil.
He said the attack represented “a major assault on France’s interests and the security of its citizens,” adding that Paris intends to impose retaliatory sanctions at the European level and has summoned the Iranian ambassador over the incident.
Judicial Investigation and International Arrest Warrants
The Paris prosecutor’s office announced on November 9 that it had opened a judicial investigation targeting the commander of Iran’s Shahid Kaveh group, which it described as a cyberattack unit linked to the Revolutionary Guard’s electronic center, along with two of his associates.
Prosecutors have requested international arrest warrants for the suspects. The investigation concerns allegations of unauthorized access to information systems and causing damage through dangerous means as part of an organized group, with the alleged aim of serving a foreign state, namely Iran.
The accusations are based on technical indicators, including the use of the Persian language and IP addresses linked to devices located inside Iran.
Details of the Attack on Refrigeration Systems
The attack took place overnight between October 11 and 12, when hackers remotely gained control of refrigerators and freezers inside French stores, triggering abnormal defrosting cycles. This caused temperatures to rise and led to the spoilage of large quantities of fresh and frozen food.
The breach also caused fires in some refrigeration equipment. Prosecutors said the attackers disabled alarm systems connected to temperature sensors, with around 20 fire incidents recorded.
Similar Attacks Reported Across Europe
The French accusations came after a new wave of attacks targeting refrigeration systems in stores across several European countries in early November, including Belgium, Sweden and Luxembourg, causing food losses and material damage.
France’s national blood service also reported that refrigeration systems at three plasma storage facilities were targeted in a similar attack on November 2. However, it confirmed that monitoring systems prevented any blood products from being spoiled.
Investigations have not yet established a direct link between all of these attacks.
