US carried out cyber attack on Iran after Saudi oil strikes
SECRET OPERATION Conducted after Sept 14 drone hits, counterstrike affected ‘physical hardware’
WASHINGTON: The 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, two US officials have told Reuters.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran’s ability to spread “propaganda”.
One of the officials said the strike affected physical hardware, but did not provide further details.
It highlights how US President Donald Trump’s administration has been trying to counter what it sees as Iranian aggression without spiralling into a broader conflict.
The strike 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 (IRGC) on oil tankers in the Gulf in May.
The US, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have blamed the September 14 attack on Iran, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iranaligned Houthi militant group in Yemen claimed responsibility.
Publicly, the Pentagon has responded by sending thousands of additional troops and equipment to bolster Saudi defences the latest US deployment to the region this year.
The Pentagon declined to comment about the cyber strike.
“For operational security, we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence, or planning,” said Pentagon a spokesperson.
YEMENI SEPARATISTS , GOVT STRIKING DEAL
DUBAI: Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and southern separatists are expected to sign a deal to end a power struggle in Aden that fractured an Arab coalition battling the Houthi group.
The UAE-backed separatist STC is allied to the Saudi-backed government of President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi, but the two sides fell out in August, with the separatists seizing control of Aden.