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UK power plant shut down
Hackers linked to Iran shut down a small power plant in the United Kingdom for four days in July, according to The Telegraph and as described by the BBC.
“The Telegraph newspaper reported Sunday. The paper said the incident happened around the time”
The BBC said the government told reporters that at no point was there a risk to the UK's energy system, and that the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) contacted power companies to advise them about the risk of cyber attacks.
The BBC added that for security reasons neither the government nor the National Cyber Security Centre would give further details of the site affected, and that the incident was not an attack on an essential service such as a large power station.
CNBC reported that a U.K. government spokesperson declined to attribute blame for the reported power outage or identify the facility, stating, "This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system."
Threat escalation and warnings
The Guardian said the incident marks an apparent escalation in the threat posed by Iran after the UK said it had given permission for the US to launch “defensive” operations against Tehran from British bases.
The Guardian quoted a Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson saying, "This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system."
In a separate account, The Brussels Times said the attack took place at around the same time as cyberattacks on water treatment facilities in 12 US states, and that US government sources blamed Iran.
The Brussels Times also reported that the Telegraph said the British power-plant attack may have been intended mainly to demonstrate that hackers linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard can gain access to critical infrastructure, and that Iran has stepped up cyberattacks on Western countries since the outbreak of the war.
Sanctions, gas, and next moves
Beyond the cyberattack reporting, Reuters-linked coverage in ABC News & Headlines described Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian defending a U.S. memorandum of understanding as the best path forward, saying, "There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation."
“"There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,"”
ABC News & Headlines also reported that the memorandum set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program, and that the period ended last week after both sides declared they had abandoned the deal.
In parallel, ABC News & Headlines said Iran discovered more than 200 billion cubic metres of natural gas in the south of Fars province, with Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad telling state television that over 160 billion cubic metres could be extracted from the field.
Al Jazeera reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian told state television, "I understand we have many problems in society right now. We are doing our best so the people are not afflicted, but the enemy is doing its absolute best so we won’t succeed," as Iran prepared for another increase in fuel prices ahead of new US sanctions.