Photo: Henry Saint John / Shutterstock.com France has formally accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of carrying out a major cyberattack campaign targeting nearly 700 distribution sites in October, following attacks that disrupted supermarket refrigeration systems and caused significant food losses.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the attribution on Monday, November 9, saying the attacks took place on October 11 and 12 and represented an unprecedented level of scale and aggression.
In a statement published on X, Barrot confirmed that Iran's ambassador had been summoned to the French Foreign Ministry. Paris also intends to impose sanctions on those responsible and is considering further measures in response.
"We will sanction those responsible and take all measures we deem necessary and proportionate to respond to these attacks and deter anyone who might consider repeating them," Barrot said.
According to French authorities, the attackers remotely accessed refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets and other distribution facilities, manipulating temperatures and disrupting the storage of perishable goods.
In some locations, temperatures reportedly climbed to 50 degrees Celsius, forcing retailers to dispose of fresh and frozen products.
The campaign affected approximately 700 sites across France, including major supermarket chains. The financial damage was substantial, with some companies reporting losses worth tens of millions of euros in a single day. Some incidents also resulted in fires and equipment damage.
The French government's announcement marks a significant escalation in its response to the incident, which officials have described as a large-scale sabotage operation targeting the country's national interests and security.
The accusations come amid growing concerns over cyberattacks targeting essential infrastructure and commercial systems across Europe. Similar refrigeration failures have recently been reported in several other European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, Ireland and Estonia, raising questions about the vulnerability of interconnected systems.