France attributes supermarket fridge cyberattacks to Iran's Revolutionary Guard

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Monday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was behind a series of attacks targeting French supermarket fridges on the night of October 11-12.

Speaking after a G7 ministerial in Paris, Barrot said that an investigation was underway and that Iran's ambassador to France would be summoned. He added that France would target perpetrators with the necessary sanctions at a European level.

Speaking later, the EU's Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council meeting taking place on 16 November would provide a chance to discuss the cyberattacks taking place across Europe.

"If they are attributed, our response should be stronger", she said.

The incident targeted refrigeration units across more than 700 French retailers. Stores belonging to Carrefour, Monoprix, Intermarché and Coopérative U were among those hit when attackers manually overrode fridge temperatures.

In a statement issued following Barrot's declaration, France's Foreign Affairs Ministry underlined that cyberattacks had caused "significant material damage, including fires, and the estimated loss of food and other goods amounting to tens of millions of euros."

"They represent a major threat to the interests of the Nation and the security of French citizens", said the Ministry.