Iran Warns Israel Of “Crushing Response” To Cyber Attack

Iran Warns Israel Of “Crushing Response” To Cyber Attack

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An Iranian official has threatened Israel with a “crushing response” to any attemp to tamper with its technological infrastructures. According to the Irani Communications and Information Technology Minister, “If the Zionist regime dares to launch a cyber attack on Iran, we will surely respond to it”, reported the Iranian news agency Fars. He claimed that Iran will not launch a cyber attack against other countries in response but vaguely stated that “Iran will adopt a totally different policy”.

The minister’s statements come following an announcement made earlier this month by the head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization,  Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalili, that Iran has planned a new command and control system to evaluate threats, which also includes a defense against cyber attacks. He explained that the Civil Defense Organization has already conducted drills for radiation, biological-chemical and cyber attacks.

It’s well-known that extensive cyber attacks were launched against Iranian facilities in the past years, including its nuclear facilities. For example, on January 2013, and Iranian delegation to the U.N. has criticized the United States on its involvement in cyber attacks against Tehran. Some time before that, on December 2012, Iran has annoucned it has thwarted another cyber attack against one of its Ministry of Culture institutions.

In light of these attacks, Iranian officials have started to draw a proper defense line against them. According to Fars, at the top of these efforts, which began in 2012, was the decleration of Iran’s spiritual leader, Khamenei, of a plan to strengthen its cyber capabilities. In fact, he himself even stood behind the initiative to establish the high council for cyberspace.

Many point the finger on recent years’ cyber attacks to the United States and Israel. If the two really are behind the attacks, will any attack after the nuclear deal with Iran be considered as a step to damage trust and the agreement itself, causing western countries to rage, or will they stay silent in order to prevent escalation?

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