Iran rejects France's 'baseless accusations' on cyberattack

Iran on Tuesday said French accusations that it was responsible for cyberattacks on supermarket fridges last month were "baseless".

"Iran's foreign ministry categorically rejects the French government's baseless and one-sided accusations against Iran regarding alleged cyber activities in France," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that it "strongly condemns this hackneyed policy of levelling accusations against the Islamic republic".

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

Similar incidents were then reported in at least 11 other European countries in early November.

Along with summoning Iran's ambassador and seeking European-level sanctions, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that Paris would "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".

Tehran meanwhile said it would "not hesitate to take necessary and appropriate measures to safeguard its national interests and security in the face of unlawful foreign activities".

It added that France "is merely projecting its own governance failures" with these accusations.

"A government that cannot even manage the temperature of its own refrigerators now seeks to shift the blame onto foreign actors through these preposterous accusations," it continued.

Also on Tuesday, the European Union said it would look to provide a "swift and united response" pending discussion with member states after France's announcement.