French prosecutors opened a formal investigation on Monday, December 9, into members of an Iranian cyber unit suspected of sabotaging refrigeration systems at approximately 700 supermarkets across France. The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office has requested international arrest warrants for three suspects, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed.

The case targets the Iranian Shahid Kaveh group, a unit specializing in offensive cyber operations (attacks designed to disable or damage systems rather than steal data) linked to the Revolutionary Guard, the military force responsible for protecting the Islamic regime in Tehran. Beccuau said the warrants cover the group's leader and two of his assistants.

What Happened on October 12?

The attacks struck in the early hours of October 12 and affected refrigeration equipment at roughly 700 commercial establishments in France. The attackers remotely accessed temperature control systems and altered the device settings, producing an abnormal rise in heat inside refrigerators and freezers, according to investigators.

In some equipment, temperatures reached 50°C, causing food spoilage and physical damage to facilities. The French National Information Systems Security Agency (ANSSI) recorded at least 15 fires linked to the intrusions. The French government estimates the operation caused losses running to tens of millions of euros.

How Did Investigators Trace the Attacks to Iran?

Authorities say they identified multiple pieces of evidence connecting the operation to the Iranian group:

• Digital tools associated with the organization;
• Records written in Persian;
• Internet addresses linked to devices located in Iran.

The attribution rests on that technical evidence, prosecutors said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot publicly held the Revolutionary Guard responsible for the attacks and announced that the government intends to act against those involved.

What Did the French Government Say?

Barrot delivered the accusation before an international audience on Monday. "The responsibility for this attack lies with the Revolutionary Guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said during a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris.

The minister classified the operation as the first large-scale cyber sabotage attack recorded on French territory. He stated that the episode will not remain without consequences.

The diplomatic response followed within hours. France summoned the Iranian ambassador in Paris to lodge a formal protest, and the government announced its intention to propose new sanctions against those responsible within the European Union.

Is This an Isolated Incident?

The investigation opens after a second wave of similar attacks hit refrigeration equipment in several European countries in early November. Those failures affected supermarkets and even units used to store blood in France. Authorities have not yet formally attributed this second wave to the same Iranian group.

France had already blamed units linked to the Revolutionary Guard's cyber structure for earlier operations against French interests. Those include digital attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in 2023 and actions related to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

The December 9 investigation, the arrest warrant requests and the planned EU sanctions now form the most consequential French response to date against Iran's offensive cyber apparatus.