Iran’s cybersecurity authority has acknowledged that two cyberattacks on government departments occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday of the week of October 11th. The report, from an state-owned Iranian daily newspaper, did not disclose the specific departments affected by these attacks, however other departments were forced to close their online services as a precautionary measure. The departments, though nameless, were deemed “important” according to the report. The report did not place blame on any group or country for these two attacks, though they are both currently under investigation. Iran sustained a similar attack in late 2000’s entailing the Stuxnet computer virus, causing them to disconnect much of their infrastructure from the internet. This virus disrupted thousands of centrifuges, laboratory devices able to separate fluids, gas, or liquids, in Iran’s nuclear sites. It is believed that the attack was a joint effort from the United States and Israel. In addition to this, U.S. President Trump oversaw a cyberattack on Iranian military computer systems in 2019. Iran also claimed an additional attack occurred in December, leaving out any specifics. This incident comes at a very bad time for U.S.-Iranian relations. With tensions spiking due to sanctions placed on Iran by the U.S. after their pull from the nuclear deal, a cybersecurity attack that may be interpreted as having U.S. involvement is not a beneficial step towards peace. This occurred just weeks from the U.S. Presidential election, a time of uncertainty for the country. If Iranian officials suspect foul play from the U.S, they may be motivated to place a counter attack, that would have disastrous effects if initiated at the right time. On a similar note, if Donald Trump wins the election, Iran may feel inclined to launch an attack purely based on his actions surrounding the nuclear deal. When analyzed, the current U.S.-Iranian relations fall on the Interstate level and a little on the Individual level, with both countries participating in actions aggravating to the other and some comments from each of the respective presidents. As a potential transfer of power is in occurrence in the U.S., the Iranian’s continue to face events furthering the divide between the two countries.
