France vows sanctions for supermarket hacks as Iran rejects 'baseless accusations'

France's foreign minister said Tuesday that Paris ruled out "nothing" to respond to a major cyberattack on hundreds of supermarket fridges in October that it has blamed on Iran.

Read moreFrance accuses Iran of hacking supermarket fridges

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told FranceinfoTV that Iran's ambassador would be summoned and European-level sanctions would be sought.

"I can also tell you that we rule nothing out and will take all measures – including those we may not disclose publicly – that we deem proportionate and necessary to deter any further attacks," he added.

The goal, Barrot said, is "to deter anyone who might be tempted, in Iran or elsewhere, to do it again".

Barrot said Monday that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was behind cyberattacks on supermarkets in the first such large-scale cyber sabotage on French territory.

"This attack is unprecedented in both its scale and its level of aggression," Barrot said on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris.

The EU said it would look to provide a "swift and united response" following the attack.

"We acknowledge that France has attributed this to Iran. Pending discussions with member states, we, as the European Union, stand ready to come with a swift and united response," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said. 

Tehran rejects 'baseless' claims

Hundreds of French supermarkets were hit in the October 11 and 12 cyberattacks, which raised the temperatures in their refrigerators, forcing many to throw away entire inventories of perishable food.

Similar incidents have since been reported in other European countries.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Monday she had opened an investigation into Shahid Kaveh, a shadowy cyber unit of the IRGC, the Islamic republic's ideological army, over the attacks.

The prosecutor's office has requested international arrest warrants be issued for two Shahid Kaveh officials.

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Iran's foreign ministry hit back on Tuesday, stating that it "categorically rejects the French government's baseless and one-sided accusations".

In a statement, the ministry warned that it would "not hesitate to take necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard its national interests and security in the face of unlawful foreign activities".

Later in the day, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed the French government for the incident.

"Unable to manage fridges let alone addressing grievances of its people, French government is shifting blame for its failures onto others," the top diplomat said on X.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)