Israel carried out a sophisticated cyber-attack on the Iranian container port of Shahid Rajaee, according to The Washington Post and other international news outlets.
According to reports, the attack, described as “highly accurate”, took place on the 9 May 2020. It brought a halt to operations at the Port, with officials describing the aftermath as “total disarray”.
In addition, the attack has been confirmed by Iran’s Port and Maritime Organisation (PMO).
In a statement to the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA), Mohammed Rastad, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Roads and Urban Development, said the attack hadn’t damaged the PMO’s core systems and had only affected a number of private operating systems.
Citing satellite images shown to it by a US official, The Washington Post said there were queues “miles long” on the waterways leading to the Port, with “dozens” of container ships waiting to anchor.
Shahid Rajaee is one of the busiest ports in Iran and one of two major hubs on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important shipping channels in the world.