Iran mocks France over ‘fridge’ cyberattack blame, accuses Paris of hypocrisy on Gaza
Abdullateef Fowewe
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has dismissed France’s attribution of a major October cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration systems to Iran, sarcastically suggesting Paris was shifting blame for its own failures while criticising French policy in the Middle East.
In a post on X, Araghchi wrote, “Unable to manage fridges let alone addressing grievances of its people, French government is shifting blame for its failures onto others. Yes, Iran is powerful. But unlike France, we do not exercise power via support for massacres in Gaza or bombings of schools and hospitals.”
The remarks came hours after France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs formally attributed the attacks to Shahid Kaveh, described as an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
French officials said the overnight operation on 11–12 October targeted temperature controls at more than 700 retail sites, causing significant material damage, fires, and the spoilage of foodstuffs estimated to be worth tens of millions of euros.
They called it the first large-scale cyber campaign carried out purely for sabotage on French soil.
The attacks disrupted major chains including Carrefour, Intermarché and others, forcing stores to discard large quantities of fresh and frozen goods after temperatures were remotely driven far above safe levels
