A fuel station in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The cyber attack disrupted the sale of heavily subsidised petrol across the country. AP
A fuel station in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The cyber attack disrupted the sale of heavily subsidised petrol across the country. AP
A fuel station in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The cyber attack disrupted the sale of heavily subsidised petrol across the country. AP
A fuel station in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The cyber attack disrupted the sale of heavily subsidised petrol across the country. AP

Iran defence chief claims US and Israel behind petrol station cyber attack


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Iran's civil defence chief has claimed Israel and the US are behind a cyber attack that disrupted petrol sales across the country.

Gholamreza Jalali, head of civil defence, which is in charge of cyber security, said a technical investigation was yet to be completed.

“We are still unable to say forensically, but analytically I believe it was carried out by [Israel], the Americans and their agents,” Mr Jalali told state TV on Saturday.

Iran has said in the past few years that it is on high alert for online assaults, which it has blamed on the US and Israel. The US and other western powers, meanwhile, have accused Iran of trying to disrupt and break into their networks.

Israel and the US are yet to respond to the Iranian claim.

President Ebrahim Raisi said the cyber attack, which disrupted the sale of heavily subsidised petrol, was designed to create “disorder".

The disruptions on Tuesday came before the second anniversary of bloody protests in Iran over a sharp increase in fuel prices in November 2019 that became a political movement with protesters demanding the resignation of country's top rulers.

Mr Jalali said that, based on completed investigations, Iran was “certain” the US and Israel were behind the cyber attacks on Iran's railroads in July and the Shahid Rajaee Port in May 2020.

Iran's train services were delayed in July by apparent cyber attacks, with hackers posting the phone number of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office as the number to call for information.

About half of Iran's 4,300 petrol stations were now reconnected and resuming the sale of heavily subsidised fuel, the state news agency Irna said on Saturday. Hours after the cyber attack, petrol stations reopened gradually but could only be operated manually for the sale of more expensive fuel.

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1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

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Updated: October 31, 2021, 5:05 AM