عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iran Says it Repelled Large Cyberattack on Sunday

CCTV footage shows fire from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 26, 2025, as seen in this screengrab from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
CCTV footage shows fire from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 26, 2025, as seen in this screengrab from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
TT
TT

Iran Says it Repelled Large Cyberattack on Sunday

CCTV footage shows fire from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 26, 2025, as seen in this screengrab from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
CCTV footage shows fire from the explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 26, 2025, as seen in this screengrab from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS

Iran repelled a large cyberattack on its infrastructure on Sunday, said the head of its Infrastructure Communications Company, a day after a powerful explosion damaged its most important container port.
"One of the most widespread and complex cyberattacks against the country's infrastructure was identified and preventive measures were taken," Behzad Akbari said on Monday, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency, without giving more detail.
Tehran and Washington concluded a third round of nuclear talks on Saturday in Oman, on the same day Iran's biggest port of Bandar Abbas was rocked by a large explosion whose cause remains unknown.
Chemicals at the port were suspected to have fueled the explosion, but the exact cause was not clear and Iran's Defense Ministry denied international media reports that the blast may be linked to the mishandling of solid fuel used for missiles.
Iran has in the past accused its arch-foe Israel of being behind cyberattacks. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Iran's nuclear infrastructure should be entirely dismantled - not just limited to prevent the development of nuclear weapons.
In 2021, a large cyberattack on Iranian petrol stations was said by Tehran to likely be caused by Israel. In 2023, a similar but larger cyberattack disrupted about 70% of petrol stations, with a group called "Predatory Sparrow" claiming the attack as retaliation to "the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region."

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Russia Says It Foils Biggest Ukrainian Drone Attack in a Year

Smoke is seen through the broken window of a residential neighborhood damaged by Russian aerial guided bomb in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)
Smoke is seen through the broken window of a residential neighborhood damaged by Russian aerial guided bomb in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)
TT
TT

Russia Says It Foils Biggest Ukrainian Drone Attack in a Year

Smoke is seen through the broken window of a residential neighborhood damaged by Russian aerial guided bomb in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)
Smoke is seen through the broken window of a residential neighborhood damaged by Russian aerial guided bomb in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP)

Russia said on Monday that it shot down 250 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow over the weekend, in what officials said was the biggest attempted attack on the Russian capital in at least a year.

"Over the past two days, air defense forces have destroyed about 250 enemy UAVs ‌directly on ‌the approach to Moscow ‌and ⁠on the second line ⁠towards Moscow," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

The war in Ukraine and now the Iran war have showcased the effectiveness of relatively cheap drones that can attack far-off targets ranging ⁠from oil infrastructure to major ‌population centers at ‌a fraction of the cost of a ‌fighter jet, Reuters said.

Russia has pummeled Ukraine ‌with artillery and drones while Ukraine has struck deep inside Russia with sabotage groups and drones, killing Russian generals and attacking oil ‌refineries and oil pipelines.

Moscow's main airports imposed flight restrictions amid ⁠the weekend ⁠attack, Russia's aviation watchdog said, though they were later lifted.

There were no reported casualties. Sobyanin thanked the Russian armed forces for their work.

Reuters reporters said they heard loud bangs across Moscow and the Moscow region over the weekend.

Moscow - along with the surrounding Moscow region - has a population of about 22 million. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

World

Azerbaijan Jails Frenchman for 10 Years for Espionage

French national Martin Ryan, accused of espionage, attends a court hearing in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6 January, 2025. Reuters - Aziz Karimov
French national Martin Ryan, accused of espionage, attends a court hearing in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6 January, 2025. Reuters - Aziz Karimov
TT
TT

Azerbaijan Jails Frenchman for 10 Years for Espionage

French national Martin Ryan, accused of espionage, attends a court hearing in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6 January, 2025. Reuters - Aziz Karimov
French national Martin Ryan, accused of espionage, attends a court hearing in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6 January, 2025. Reuters - Aziz Karimov

A court in Azerbaijan sentenced a French citizen to ten years in prison on Monday after finding him ‌guilty ‌of spying ‌on ⁠behalf of Paris, ⁠Russian state news agency RIA reported.

Baku accuses the man, Martin ⁠Ryan, who was ‌arrested ‌in December 2023, ‌of collecting secret ‌information about its military cooperation with Türkiye and ‌Pakistan.

It also said he was helping ⁠to ⁠recruit French-speaking Azerbaijanis to cooperate with French intelligence.

Ryan pleaded partially guilty to the charge.

World

EU's Kallas Floats Black Sea Model to Unblock Strait of Hormuz

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
TT
TT

EU's Kallas Floats Black Sea Model to Unblock Strait of Hormuz

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday she had discussed with the United Nations the idea of freeing up transport of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz by replicating a deal that gets grain out of Ukraine during wartime.

Arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Kallas said she had spoken to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the idea to unblock the strait, currently choked off due to the Iran war, said Reuters.

"I had talks with ‌Antonio Guterres ‌about whether it was possible to also have ‌the ⁠same kind of ⁠initiative like we had (with) the Black Sea Initiative," Kallas said.

Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, now in its third week. Iranian forces have attacked ships in the narrow channel between Iran and Oman, choking off a fifth of global oil supply in the biggest disruption ⁠ever. Kallas said the closure of the strait was "really ‌dangerous" for energy supplies to Asia ‌but was also a problem for the production of fertilizers.

"And if there ‌is a lack of fertilizers this year, there's going to ‌be also food deprivation next year," Kallas said. She did not provide any more details. Kallas said ministers would also discuss whether it was possible to change the mandate of the EU's small Middle East naval mission, ‌Aspides, which currently focuses on protecting ships in the Red Sea from Yemen's Houthi rebel group.

"It ⁠is in ⁠our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and that's why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side," she said. Asked about the skepticism expressed by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on whether Aspides could be useful in the Strait of Hormuz, Kallas said: "Of course we need to also have the member states on board."

"If the member states say that we are not doing anything with this, then of course it's their decision, but we have to discuss how we help to keep the Strait of Hormuz open."