TEHRAN, Iran — Sunday's cyberattack disrupted access to Iran's privately owned Mahan Air, marking the latest in a series of cyberattacks on Iran's infrastructure that have strained the country, state television reported.
Mahan Air's website displays an error message saying it cannot be accessed. The airline said in a statement that it had "thwarted" the attack and that its flight schedules were not affected, adding that it had faced similar violations in the past.
On Sunday, many customers of Mahan Air across Iran received strange text messages. A group calling itself Hoosyarane-Vatan, or "Fatherland Watchers," claimed in bulk of the text that the attack had been carried out, citing the airline's cooperation with Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards. The self-proclaimed hacking group did not provide any evidence.
Mahan Air flies from Tehran to dozens of destinations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The U.S. Treasury Department, which oversees compliance with sanctions, blacklisted the airline in 2011 on suspicion of "providing financial, material and technical support" to the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, which is responsible for the Islamic Republic's campaign abroad. The Treasury Department has accused Mahan Air of delivering weapons, cargo and personnel to Lebanon's militant Allah party organization.
Major cyberattacks have struck various Iranian systems in recent months, one of which paralyzed gas stations across the country in October, leaving angry motorists stranded in long lines unable to use government-issued cards to buy subsidized fuel. Instead of naming a specific country, President Ebrahim Raisi blamed the hack on anti-Iranian forces seeking to sow chaos and destruction.
Another attack targeted the railway system, causing massive chaos, with dozens of trains delayed and canceled across Iran.
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