IRGC Accused of Cyberattacks in Europe and US as Europe Prepares Unified Response
According to Alhurra, the European Union and France have blamed the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for large-scale cyberattacks in October targeting supermarket refrigerators and other civil facilities such as blood banks in France, as well as similar incidents in Sweden, Belgium, and the United States. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that authorities confirm the IRGC's responsibility for attacks described as unprecedented in their aggressiveness. Reports indicated that hackers from the IRGC's "Shahid Kaveh" and "Shahid Shostari" units carried out the attacks with the aim of sabotage and destroying infrastructure rather than demanding financial ransom. Meanwhile, the Paris public prosecutor issued international arrest warrants for three Iranians: Hamidreza Lashgarian, Mehdi Lashgarian, and Reza Salarfand. Conversely, Iran denied involvement in the attacks, accusing France of blaming external parties. The European Commission confirmed it is preparing a rapid and unified response including additional sanctions, while Paris is considering taking its own electronic measures or covert military responses.