France has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of orchestrating an unprecedented cyberattack last month that disabled refrigerators in hundreds of supermarkets. A joint report from French spy and cyber agencies identified a cyber offensive unit tied to the Revolutionary Guard as the perpetrator. The sabotage caused millions of euros in damage and forced the disposal of entire inventories of perishable food.
In response, France summoned Iran's ambassador on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that Paris rules out nothing in its reaction to the first large-scale cyber sabotage on French territory, warning that France could respond with its own cyber measures.
The French government is seeking tough European-level sanctions to deter further cyberattacks across Europe, with the EU stating it would seek to provide a swift and united response. However, Iran has categorically rejected the accusations as baseless and one-sided, instead blaming the French government for the incidents.