The Fars news agency cited Brigadier General Kamal Hadianfar, head of the cyber police, as saying the unit had thwarted "the hackers' attack on the oil ministry". "The IP address for these hackers was in America," he said, adding that "an international judicial order" had been sent to the U.S.. The hacking attempt took place over a four-day period at the start of the new Iranian year which began on March 20.