Israeli hackers claim cyberattacks on Iranian gas stations

Jerusalem: A hacker group associated with the Israeli military on Monday claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Iran’s gas stations, saying it was a warning for the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

“We, Gonjeshke Darande, carried out another cyberattack today, taking out a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran. This cyberattack comes in response to the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region. Khamenei, playing with fire has a price,” the group wrote on social media.

Gonjeshke Darande, or Predatory Sparrow, published a batch of technical data to substantiate its claim, including individual gas station information and payment system details. The hackers said they had warned Iranian emergency services before the attack began and ensured a portion of the gas stations across the country was left unharmed.

The Iranian presidency confirmed disruption in the gas system, saying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had ordered the country’s petroleum ministry to investigate and address its cause.

Iranian news agency Tasnim cited the ministry as saying that a technical malfunction had affected the national fuel distribution system. A similar technical failure was reported in 2021. At the time, the Iranian government accused Israel and the United States of a cyberattack.