US officials are being reported in the media as claiming that they launched a secret cyberattack
against Iran in June. The attack destroyed a critical database, and at
least temporarily prevented Iran from covertly targeting oil tankers.
The attack took place on June 20, and officials say that Iran has still
not been able to get a lot of the systems, including military networks,
back online for paramilitary forces that the US believes were targeting
tankers.
This cyberattack came amid a flurry of speculation about escalation
between the US and Iran in the Persian Gulf. Interestingly, the US
continued to play up the “threat” of Iran attacking commercial ships
even though they believed the cyber attack had effectively precluded
that.
This cyberattack apparently happened effectively concurrently with Trump’s ordered military attack against Iran, which he called back at the last minute. This was followed with weeks of talking about military strikes against Iran, and claims of Iranian threats.
US Officials Say June Cyberattack Prevented Iran From Targeting Tankers
Cyberattack wiped out a critical database, degrading paramilitary forces
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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