France has officially held Iran responsible for large-scale cyberattacks on the cooling systems of more than 700 retail sites. Paris condemned the actions and will propose that the EU impose new sanctions on those involved in the attacks.
This is stated in a statement by France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The cyberattacks took place on the night of 11 to 12 October. Hackers interfered with the operation of devices controlling supermarkets’ refrigeration equipment. This caused significant material damage, fires and food spoilage. Losses were estimated at tens of millions of euros.
"This campaign is unprecedented in its scale and level of aggressiveness. It is the first offensive cyber operation on French territory carried out solely for the purpose of sabotage," the French foreign ministry said.
According to the conclusions of the French intelligence services, the attacks were carried out by the Shahid Kaveh unit, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ centre for electronic and cyber operations. Paris considers it a persistent threat to the country’s critical infrastructure.
Read alsoBritain sends troops to counter cyberattacks on refrigerators in Europe
The French foreign ministry stressed that such actions run counter to international law and to the norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, which Iran itself has also endorsed.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that the Iranian ambassador had already been summoned to the foreign ministry. Paris also intends to propose sanctions against Iranian organisations and individuals involved in these and other malicious actions.
Separately, the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation into the head of the Shahid Kaveh unit and two of his deputies. It has also requested the issuance of international arrest warrants for them.
French agencies have published a joint report on cyberattacks by groups linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against French targets.
The French foreign ministry also recalled the cyberattack on the Charlie Hebdo weekly in 2023 and interference with advertising display systems during the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. In March 2026, the EU imposed sanctions on the Iranian company Emennet Pasargad, which it linked to these attacks.
- One of the recent cases was a cyberattack in France on the night of 12 October. Hackers then remotely activated a continuous defrost cycle on refrigeration equipment in hundreds of supermarkets. Temperatures in the units reached 50°C, causing fresh and frozen products to spoil.
- On 5 November, a similar incident happened again in France. Hackers breached French blood banks. In three refrigerated warehouses, temperature and defrost thresholds were raised to a "very high level".