The repercussions of the war with Iran have reached Europe, particularly France, where meat and frozen goods ended up in dumpsters after a cyberattack turned cooling systems into sources of heat and, in some cases, fires in French stores. With France accusing Iran's Revolutionary Guard of being behind the attacks targeting cooling systems, the issue has shifted from a technical investigation to a political and diplomatic confrontation, involving the summoning of the Iranian ambassador and efforts to secure European sanctions. Will these attacks open the door to an expansion of the confrontation between Tehran and European capitals?
The attack began on the night of October 11–12, targeting cooling control systems at around 700 commercial sites across France. According to French investigations, the attackers altered defrost settings, raised temperatures, and disabled alerts, leading to product spoilage and fires in at least 15 cases, with losses estimated at tens of millions of euros.
The targets included major stores, butcher shops, a slaughterhouse, and food factories. Another wave of intrusions followed, affecting more than 100 European facilities and even refrigerators at French blood banks, according to Reuters. However, the link between the October attack and subsequent incidents, including those occurring outside France, remains unclear.
Paris attributes the attack to "Shahed Kaweh," an offensive cyber unit linked to the Revolutionary Guard. Authorities base their assessment on digital infrastructure characteristics, tools used in the breach, traces of the Persian language, and the promotion of the attack through a propaganda platform associated with the unit.
Dr. Rami Khattar Diab, a geopolitical researcher, tells "Annahar" that what happened "is not surprising for experts in this field," as the Iranian threat to France has persisted, as confirmed by events preceding the recent war and mentioned in a French Foreign Ministry statement. These include the targeting of "Charlie Hebdo" in 2023 and the organization of the Paris Olympics in 2024. Diab views the incident as "evidence of the failure of French President Emmanuel Macron's strategy to avoid provoking Iran." The new aspect, in his view, is the scale of the attack and its "clear intent to sabotage the French economy." He suggests that the attack's expansion prompted Paris to declare Tehran responsible, a move he describes as rare in the field of cyberattacks and one that reflects the seriousness of the events.
The French Foreign Ministry described the operation as the first purely destructive cyber offensive carried out on French soil, considering it a serious attack on the country's interests and the security of its citizens.
The attacks demonstrate how a confrontation can extend beyond battlefields to affect civilian sectors in countries not directly involved in the war. Access to internet-connected devices was enough to disrupt food preservation and cause material damage without the use of conventional weapons.
Diab categorizes the operation as part of "hybrid war," explaining that cyberattacks deliver a political message and blur traditional distinctions between peace, war, and diplomacy. In his words, they are akin to a "war without smoke," but leave significant economic consequences.
Such damage did not necessarily require exceptional technical capabilities. Some of the affected devices were outdated or operated on old software. Sahar Naman, a researcher at Proofpoint, told Reuters that the sabotage reveals the vulnerabilities of these systems more than it reflects Iran's cyber capabilities.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Paris would seek to impose sanctions at the European level against those responsible for the attack, confirming that the Iranian ambassador had been summoned. He stressed that France does not rule out any option and will take measures it considers "proportionate and necessary," including actions that may not be publicly announced, to deter any party considering repeating the attacks, "whether in Iran or elsewhere."
France has identified three individuals suspected of being linked to the "Shahed Kaweh" unit: Hamid Reza Lashgarian, Mehdi Lashgarian, and Reza Salarvand. Meanwhile, the Paris prosecutor's office announced that it had requested international arrest warrants for those responsible for the attack.
Diab anticipates a French response targeting the economic interests of the Revolutionary Guard, likely through sanctions against officials behind the attack, without targeting stores or civilian infrastructure.
At this stage, the expansion of the confrontation hinges on Paris's ability to translate its accusation into a unified European stance. The prospect of unannounced measures leaves the door open to a response that goes beyond diplomatic protest.
