US carried out secret cyber strike on Iran following Saudi oil attack: report

The United States (US) carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, Dawn has reported.

According to the details, the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran’s ability to spread “propaganda”. The strike only affected physical hardware and did not provide further details.

The attack appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on oil tankers in the Gulf in May.

US, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed Iran for the Sept 14 attack, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iran-aligned Houthi militant group in Yemen later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Publicly, the Pentagon has responded by sending thousands of additional troops and equipment to bolster Saudi defences, which is the latest US deployment to the region this year.

Tensions in the Gulf have escalated sharply since May 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions.