TEHRAN – Gas stations across Iran have slowly returned to normal after around 60% of them were knocked offline by a technical problem on Monday that arose due to a cyberattack.

Iran’s oil Minister has confirmed that stations in several cities could not offer services normally as they were disrupted by a cyberattack carried out by “enemies to overshadow the welfare and comfort of the people.” He did not specify who exactly was behind the attack. 

While thousands of gas stations remained in service, people could not use their electronic fuel cards to purchase gas at a subsidized price. “People’s monthly share of subsidized gas is fully preserved. We are working to bring everything back to normal,” Javad Owji said Monday morning. 

A spokesperson for Iran's petrol stations association also addressed the situation, clarifying that "no price hike is on the agenda at all."

An Israeli-linked group identifying itself as “Predatory Sparrow” has claimed responsibility for the disruptions. 

Iran's Civil Defense Organization said it was weighing all the possible options, including interference and hacking, but it was not currently possible to verify the claims made by the enemies.

In October 2021, a cyberattack aimed at Iran's fuel distribution infrastructure led to a momentary disruption, promptly mitigated by Iranian experts.