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Iran says ‘enemy conspiracy’ behind outage at 70% of gas stations

The Oil Ministry’s Shana news agency reported that operations will be running again as normal within “a few hours” and until then fuel is being distributed offline.

People wait at a gas station as fuel distribution across more than 70% of gas stations is disrupted, Tehran, Iran, Dec. 18, 2023.
People wait at a gas station as fuel distribution across more than 70% of gas stations is disrupted, Tehran, Iran, Dec. 18, 2023. — Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

A technical problem caused by an “enemy conspiracy” disrupted fuel supply at more than 70% of gasoline stations across Iran on Monday, Iranian state TV reported.

The affected machines use a system to read government-issued electronic cards to pay for gasoline and diesel, Oil Minister Javad Owji said Monday. 

The Oil Ministry’s Shana news agency reported that operations will be running again as normal within “a few hours” and until then fuel is being distributed offline. It continued that investigations into the cause of the disruption are underway.

Iran state TV and Israeli media reported the Predatory Sparrow group claimed it was behind the outage. The hacking group, also known by its Persian name Gonjeshke Darande, has previously been linked to Israel.

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