France Warns Iran of Possible Undisclosed Response After Supermarket Cyberattack Sparked at Least 15 Fires

France warned of possible undisclosed measures against Iran after a cyberattack on a supermarket caused at least 15 fires.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday that Paris would seek European sanctions while considering further action.

French authorities attributed the October attack to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard-linked cyber unit. Refrigeration controllers at around 700 French retail sites were targeted, resulting in widespread food losses.

Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation and requested international arrest warrants.

The warning followed France's formal attribution of the 11–12 October attack to Iran on Monday. Intruders altered refrigeration defrost settings overnight, raising temperatures and forcing retailers to discard fresh and frozen goods.

Iran's ambassador was received at the French Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

France's Supermarket Cyberattack Warning Includes Undisclosed Measures

Barrot told FranceinfoTV on Tuesday that France ruled nothing out in its response. He said authorities could take measures 'including those we may not disclose publicly', provided they were proportionate and necessary to deter further attacks.

The warning goes beyond France's plan to seek sanctions through its European partners. It does not establish that Paris has launched a covert operation or that the European Union has adopted new penalties.

France's Foreign Ministry condemned the operation as an attack on national interests and public safety.

Speaking on Monday, Barrot described it as an unprecedented large-scale cyberattack intended to sabotage equipment on French territory.

Supermarket Cyberattack Triggered at Least 15 Fire Outbreaks

France's national cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, said attackers compromised refrigeration controllers at approximately 700 major retail sites overnight on 11–12 October. They changed defrost settings to unusually high temperatures, damaging equipment and destroying food stocks.

The manipulation caused fire outbreaks in at least 15 cases, according to ANSSI. The figure refers to fire outbreaks, not the number of supermarkets destroyed.

Some refrigeration systems reached 50C for about six hours, according to reports of the attack. Intermarché reported losses of 'tens of millions of euros' in a single day.

ANSSI also identified attacks on equipment at small hydroelectric installations, which it linked to the same campaign. The agency described the effects on those systems as moderate.

Supermarket Cyberattack Investigation Targets Iran-Linked Unit

France's Cyber Crisis Coordination Centre attributed the campaign to Shahid Kaveh, an offensive cyber unit affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau opened an inquiry into suspected organised cybercrime committed in the interests of a foreign power.

Prosecutors are investigating suspected members of the unit and have requested international arrest warrants. No criminal conviction has been announced, and France's attribution remains distinct from a judicial finding of guilt.

Similar refrigeration problems have been reported elsewhere in Europe, including Sweden, Belgium and Ireland. The available evidence does not establish that the same perpetrators carried out those incidents.

A separate attempted attack on French blood-storage refrigeration was stopped before blood products or samples were damaged. French authorities are investigating that intrusion.

France is pursuing sanctions and international arrest warrants over the supermarket attacks. Barrot has left open the possibility of further measures that may never be publicly disclosed, but has not specified when or whether they will be taken.