US allege Iranians breached into 320 Universities in 22 countries
Iran has condemned the new US sanctions against several Iranian nationals and an engineering company as an act of provocation, saying that Washington policy will fail to prevent Iran’s technological progress.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, issued a statement early on Saturday morning in Tehran saying, “The US will definitely not benefit from the sanctions gimmick aimed at stopping or preventing the scientific growth of the Iranian people.”
The Iranian official condemned the sanctions as “provocative, illegal and unreasonable,” calling them a vivid example of Washington’s hostility against the Iranian nation.
On Friday, President Donald Trump administration imposed sanctions against 10 Iranian nationals and an IT firm over allegations of launching what it described as “state-sponsored hacking campaigns” against several US and foreign universities as well as dozens of US companies and government agencies.
The charged Iranian individuals, and Mabna Institue, where they work, will also be hit with economic sanctions. The Institute is based in Iranian city of Shiraz.
Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has alleged that the Iranian hackers breached university computer systems and stole intellectual property and other research. The suspects have been charged with committing seven crimes, including computer fraud, conspiracy and identity theft.
US authorities have alleged that these individuals broke into the computer systems of 320 universities in 22 countries. “One hundred forty-four of the victims are American universities,” Rosenstein was quoted saying.
“The defendants stole research that cost the universities approximately $3.4bn to procure and maintain,” he said. The stolen information was then allegedly used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or sold for profit in Iran.
According to US authorities the cyber attacks were carried out by the Mabna Institute in Iran, which was founded by two of the people charged on Friday, and specifically focused on giving Iranian industries a competitive advantage.
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said, “Revealing the Mabna Institute’s nefarious activities makes it harder for them to do business. Additionally, we are working with foreign law enforcement agencies and providing the private sector with information to help neutralise Mabna’s hacking infrastructure.”
Iranians claim that Washington has adopted a much more belligerent stance against the Tehran since Trump took office in January 2017.
Since 1979 victory of Islamic Revolution, marking the fall of pro-US King Pehlavi, US had reportedly provoked Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to invade war in September 1980, which continued for eight years. US imposed unilateral economic sanctions on Iran and lobbied at UN for similar measures against Tehran.
US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and other regional allies have been expressing concern over Iran’s growing influence in several countries, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and Yemen. Iranian military advisors have played important role in defeating Daesh (IS) in Iraq and Syria in the recent past. Both the governments had invited Tehran to help fight the terror groups.