Iran Denies French Accusations of Supermarket Fridge Cyberattacks
Des centaines de réfrigérateurs de supermarchés ont été touchés par des cyberattaques en octobre, provoquant des tensions diplomatiques alors que l’Iran a rejeté les accusations françaises mardi 10 novembre 2026.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran dismissed the allegations as baseless and unlateral, condemning what it called a tired policy of targeting the Islamic Republic, Euronews.com reported.
This reaction followed a declaration on Monday by French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot. He said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stood behind the attacks targeting supermarket refrigerators during the night of October 11 to 12.
Stores owned by Carrefour, Monoprix, Intermarché, and Coopérative U appeared among the targets.
Tehran Denies Involvement and Counters
Tehran said that it would not hesitate to take necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard its national interests and security against illegal foreign activities.
Later on Tuesday, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi blamed the French government for the incident. “Incapable de gérer des frigos, et encore moins de répondre aux griefs de son peuple, le gouvernement français rejette la responsabilité de ses échecs sur les autres,” Araghchi said on X.
French authorities summoned the Iranian ambassador and requested European-level sanctions. Barrot declared on Tuesday that Paris would not rule out any option and would take all proportional and necessary measures to deter further attacks, Euronews.com stated. franceinfo reported that Barrot specified these sanctions would include entries banned from European territory, asset freezes, and the immobilization of financial assets.
European Countries Face Similar Incidents as EU Seeks Response
Similar incidents were subsequently reported in at least ten other European countries at the beginning of November, according to Euronews.com. Rfi.fr specified that affected nations included Belgium, Luxembourg, Estonia, Ireland, and Sweden, where connected freezers were also remotely hacked and caused the loss of tons of goods.
The European Union indicated on Tuesday that it would seek a rapid and united response while awaiting discussions with member states, Euronews.com reported. Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for the EU diplomatic service, said that the bloc stands ready to provide a unified response after taking note of France attributing the attacks to Iran, as detailed by Rfi.fr.
The judicial approach marks a clear shift in how France handles destabilization acts, which were previously treated with discretion. Rfi.fr said that the French judiciary issued arrest warrants against several executives of the Shahid Kaveh group. Meanwhile, the cyber crisis coordination center published a detailed five-year report featuring photos of alleged leaders from the electronic and cyber center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Future Appliance Vulnerabilities
Beyond current supermarket disruptions, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity warned that household appliances could become future targets. Juhan Lepassaar, executive director of Enisa, stated in an interview with Agence France-Presse that today’s targets are refrigerators, while tomorrow’s could be routers and domestic household appliances, according to TF1 Info.
“Tous les incidents peuvent être évités, mais la question est de savoir si nous sommes prêts à investir pour cela,” Lepassaar told AFP, as reported by TF1 Info, emphasizing that cybersecurity must be anticipated during the design stage of interconnected products.
While the Enisa director did not comment directly on Tehran’s official responsibility asserted by Paris, he said that state-aligned actors from Iran, Russia, and North Korea actively target European companies and interests, according to TF1 Info.
French authorities added that this was not the first time Iran targeted France with destabilization acts, citing a 2023 cyberattack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and hostile actions during the 2024 Olympic Games. EU foreign ministers are scheduled to debate the latest cyberattacks during their upcoming meeting on Monday in Brussels.
Earlier coverage: France Blames Iran for Cyber Attack on Supermarket Refrigerators