Cyber Terrorism Combined With Food Terrorism:
Enemies Go No Holds Barred Against Iran
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran’s telecommunications minister announced on Sunday that the country has defused a second cyberattack in less than a week, this time "aimed at spying on government intelligence”.
Muhammad Javad Azari Jahromi said in a short Twitter post that the attack was "identified and defused by a cybersecurity shield,” and that the ”spying servers were identified and the hackers were also tracked”.
Last Wednesday, Jahromi told the official IRNA news agency that a "massive” and "state-sponsored” cyberattack targeted Iran’s electronic infrastructure, but it was also defused.
On Tuesday, the minister dismissed reports of hacking operations targeting Iranian banks, including local media reports that accounts of millions of customers of Iranian banks were hacked.
Iran has disconnected much of its infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation, targeted Iranian centrifuges in the country’s nuclear sites in the late 2000s.
In June, Washington officials said that U.S. military cyber forces launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems as President Donald Trump backed away from plans for a more conventional military strike in response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone in the strategic Persian Gulf.
In June, Jahromi reported an unsuccessful American cyberattack against the country’s missile control system. "They try hard, but they have yet to carry out a successful attack,” he said at the time.
Tensions have escalated between the U.S. and Iran ever since Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and began a policy of "maximum pressure.” Iran has since been hit by multiple rounds of sanctions.
In recent days, several reports have emerged about apparently coordinated sabotage targeting Iran’s food industry.
On Sunday, Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki said the case involving certain drugs put into Iranian confectionery products is a security matter that aims to disturb the public.
"The issue of inserting drugs into cakes is a security issue that is aimed at disturbing the public and undermining the country’s food industry,” Namaki told reporters here.
He added that the pills had been put into confectionery products outside the official cycle of production and distribution, and that his colleagues in the fields of security and intelligence were pursuing the case.
"We have not had any poisoning caused by these doctored products so far and more details about the culprits behind this sabotage campaign will soon be announced,” Namaki further said.
More than a month since reports emerged about drugs have been placed in confectionery products such as cakes, biscuits and wafers, no loss of life has been reported.
Sabotaged products have so far been confirmed to have been found in the southern provinces of Kerman, Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchistan near the Pakistani border and the western province of Ilam which borders Iraq, according to officials.
Muhammad Javad Azari Jahromi said in a short Twitter post that the attack was "identified and defused by a cybersecurity shield,” and that the ”spying servers were identified and the hackers were also tracked”.
Last Wednesday, Jahromi told the official IRNA news agency that a "massive” and "state-sponsored” cyberattack targeted Iran’s electronic infrastructure, but it was also defused.
On Tuesday, the minister dismissed reports of hacking operations targeting Iranian banks, including local media reports that accounts of millions of customers of Iranian banks were hacked.
Iran has disconnected much of its infrastructure from the internet after the Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation, targeted Iranian centrifuges in the country’s nuclear sites in the late 2000s.
In June, Washington officials said that U.S. military cyber forces launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems as President Donald Trump backed away from plans for a more conventional military strike in response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone in the strategic Persian Gulf.
In June, Jahromi reported an unsuccessful American cyberattack against the country’s missile control system. "They try hard, but they have yet to carry out a successful attack,” he said at the time.
Tensions have escalated between the U.S. and Iran ever since Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran and began a policy of "maximum pressure.” Iran has since been hit by multiple rounds of sanctions.
In recent days, several reports have emerged about apparently coordinated sabotage targeting Iran’s food industry.
On Sunday, Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki said the case involving certain drugs put into Iranian confectionery products is a security matter that aims to disturb the public.
"The issue of inserting drugs into cakes is a security issue that is aimed at disturbing the public and undermining the country’s food industry,” Namaki told reporters here.
He added that the pills had been put into confectionery products outside the official cycle of production and distribution, and that his colleagues in the fields of security and intelligence were pursuing the case.
"We have not had any poisoning caused by these doctored products so far and more details about the culprits behind this sabotage campaign will soon be announced,” Namaki further said.
More than a month since reports emerged about drugs have been placed in confectionery products such as cakes, biscuits and wafers, no loss of life has been reported.
Sabotaged products have so far been confirmed to have been found in the southern provinces of Kerman, Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchistan near the Pakistani border and the western province of Ilam which borders Iraq, according to officials.
Iran’s Food and Drug Organization spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour has described the cases as an act of "sabotage,” saying the food industry was targeted in a bid to spread "terror”.
"It’s the standing of the whole food and confectionery industry that has been targeted as one of Iran’s excelling industries,” he said Saturday, adding that no narcotics or rumored aluminum phosphide tablets have been found inserted in any of the products.
According to Muhammad Hussein Azizi, who is in charge of the health ministry’s oversight of food products, the total number of instances of drugs placed in the confectionery products has been "very low”.
Iran’s food industry is regarded as one of the country’s booming fields, enjoying exports to a wide range of countries despite the cruel sanctions imposed by the White House.
"It’s the standing of the whole food and confectionery industry that has been targeted as one of Iran’s excelling industries,” he said Saturday, adding that no narcotics or rumored aluminum phosphide tablets have been found inserted in any of the products.
According to Muhammad Hussein Azizi, who is in charge of the health ministry’s oversight of food products, the total number of instances of drugs placed in the confectionery products has been "very low”.
Iran’s food industry is regarded as one of the country’s booming fields, enjoying exports to a wide range of countries despite the cruel sanctions imposed by the White House.