‘Israel-backed hackers' disrupt fuel supply across Iran

Iran claimed that Israel-backed hackers carried cyberattacks that sabotaged fuel distribution across the country's gas stations, Iranian state TV and Israeli local media reported on Monday.

Oil Minister Javad Owji earlier told Iranian state TV that services had been disrupted at about 70% of Iran's petrol stations and that outside interference was a possible cause.

Iran's state TV news said the Predatory Sparrow group claimed it was behind the disruption. Israeli local media outlets also reported the claim.

It was not immediately clear what was causing the problem.

The "possible sabotage" claim was made by anonymous sources to Iranian state TV.

But Deputy Oil Minister Jalil Salari told local media they were facing "a challenge with card readers" and authorities were working to quickly resolve the issue.

Iran, a major oil producer, enjoys among the cheapest petrol prices worldwide, but motorists must use special cards to buy at the subsidised rate and have a monthly limit before they must pay higher market prices.

Employees at petrol stations had "disconnected the online system" and fuel was being supplied offline, Salari said.

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

It brought Iran's fuel distribution system to a halt, resulting in traffic jams and long lines at petrol stations.

With additional input from AFP, Reuters