Iran

A cyberattack that temporarily shut down numerous Albanian government digital services and websites in mid-July was likely the work of pro-Iranian hackers seeking to disrupt an Iranian opposition group's conference in Albania, a leading US cybersecurity firm said. In a report, Mandiant expressed "moderate confidence" the attackers were acting in support of Tehran's anti-dissident efforts based on several factors: The timing, the content of a social media channel used to claim responsibility, and similarities in software…

A cascade of gas centrifuges at a U.S. enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio, in 1984. Iran is using similar technology to enrich uranium. Credit: U.S. Department of Energy Iran's nuclear program was a major topic in President Joe Biden's July 13–16, 2022 trip to the Middle East. The most challenging part of producing nuclear weapons is making the material that fuels them, and Iran is known to have produced uranium that is…

Fast News Gazprom will help Iran's national oil company in the development of gas and oil fields, as well as the completion of liquefied natural gas projects and construction of gas export pipelines. Iran sits on the world’s second-largest gas reserves after Russia, but US sanctions have…

The world's largest crypto exchange, Binance, continued to process trades by clients in Iran despite US sanctions and a company ban on doing business there. In 2018, the United States reimposed sanctions that had been suspended three years earlier as part of Iran's nuclear deal with major world powers. That November, Binance informed traders in Iran it would no longer serve them, telling them to liquidate their accounts. Seven traders said they skirted the ban. The traders said they continued to use their Binance accounts…

Iranian authorities have arrested two film-makers over an appeal they posted on social media, accusing them of links with opposition groups based outside the country and plotting to undermine the nation’s state security, Iran’s state-run news agency reported on Friday.According to IRNA, award-wining director Mohammad Rasoulof and colleague Mostafa Al-Ahmad were taken into custody for posting a statement on social media urging members of the Iranian security forces to lay down their weapons.The hashtag #put_your_gun_down…

A war, big or small, can transform a society beyond recognition. American sociologist Charles Tilly argued that war helps the state perpetuate itself by adding new layers of state-ness. Beyond this, war sometimes helps advance the cause of feminism. The world wars of the twentieth century created conditions for waves of feminism in the European heartland. We now hear stories of bravery, resilience and sacrifice by Urkainian women in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. And yet, there is little scientific research on the…

Iran’s relationship with the crypto mining sector is a love-hate one. The government is again restricting crypto mining activity as it tries to ease the strain on the country’s power supply, despite knowing the promise of crypto as a way to evade international sanctions. Electricity to all 118 government-authorized mining operators in Iran will be cut off from June 22 ahead of seasonal spikes in power demand, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, spokesman for Iran’s power industry said in an interview with…

Three rights groups on Thursday urged Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to overhaul its policies for Persian-language content on Iran, complaining restrictions had impeded the ability of Iranians to share information during ongoing protests.London-based freedom of expression group Article 19, global digital rights group Access Now and the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said Meta had to change policies on potentially sensitive content as well as human and automated moderation.With the Internet…

Hackers sponsored by the Iranian government last year attempted a "despicable" cyber attack against Boston Children's Hospital that threatened to disrupt services to patients, FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Wednesday.Wray, in a speech delivered at a conference hosted by Boston College, detailed the incident as he warned about the rising threat cyber attacks sponsored by nation states like Iran, Russia and China pose to companies and US infrastructure."We got a report from one of our intelligence partners indicating…

Iran likely suffered another failed launch of a satellite-carrying rocket in recent days attempting to reinvigorate a program criticized by the West, even as Tehran faces last-minute negotiations with world powers to save its tattered nuclear deal in Vienna. Satellite images from Maxar Technologies seen by The Associated Press show scorch marks at a launch pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran's rural Semnan province on Sunday. A rocket stand on the pad appears scorched and damaged, with vehicles surrounding it. An…