Iran fuel supplies cut in ‘cyberattack’ blamed on US and Israel

Iran said it suffered a cyberattack by Israel and the United States that disrupted fuel distribution across 60 percent of petrol stations on Monday.

“Some gas stations across the country suffered a cyberattack and the fuel distribution stopped,” Oil Minister Javad Owji told state TV.

Owji blamed the attack on external powers, saying that since “the Zionist enemy (Israel) and the United States suffered blows in other fronts, they sought to create trouble.”

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A hacking group that Iran accuses of having links to Israel claimed it carried out the attack which disrupted services at petrol stations across the country, Iranian state TV and Israeli local media reported.

Iran’s state TV news said a group called Gonjeshke Darande or “Predatory Sparrow” had claimed it was behind the disruption. Israeli local media outlets also reported the claim.

“This cyberattack was carried out in a controlled manner to avoid potential damage to emergency services,” the group said in a statement on Telegram.

The digital strike was “in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region,” it added.

Deputy Oil Minister Jalil Salari earlier said there were problems with the cards Iranians use to buy subsidized petrol.

Iran, a major oil producer, has among the cheapest petrol prices in the world, with a card that allows Iranians to buy up to 60 liters per month at a subsidized rate of 15,000 rials (around 3 US cents) per liter.

Following the system failure, petrol stations “disconnected the online system” and fuel was being supplied offline, Salari said.

Monday’s disruption caused long car queues outside some stations in Tehran while others were completely shuttered, according to an AFP correspondent.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi called for an investigation and urged “immediate measures” to resolve the crisis.

Authorities formed a “crisis committee” and Salari expressed hopes the system would be fixed within a few hours.

Iran suffered a similar week-long disruption in October 2021 which officials blamed on an unprecedented cyberattack by outside actors.

Fuel cards were first introduced in 2007 with a view to reforming the subsidies system and curbing large-scale smuggling.

Iran’s economy has been battered by internal mismanagement and external pressure. In 2018, the US withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted for a few years.

The government has accused arch-enemy Israel of a wave of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear program.

The US and Israel accuse Iran of orchestrating attacks against allied forces and ships in the region.

-With agencies

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