US sanctions Iran, following cyber attack on Albania

The US has imposed sanctions on the Iranian Intelligence Ministry and the Ministers for Ki-Benetic Operations, Esmail Khatib, after it was found Iran is behind the cyber attack on Albania's public and government services on 15 July.

“Today, the US Treasury Department's Office for Foreign Property Control (OFAC) is appointing Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and its Intelligence Minister for inclusion in active cyber activities against the United States and its allies. At least since 2007, MOIS and its representatives of cyber actors have conducted malicious cyber operations aimed at a series of government and private sector organisations worldwide and in various sectors of critical infrastructure”, the Treasury report said.

MOIS, under Esmail Khatib's leadership, leads several networks of cyber-encumbered threats actors involved in cyber-disclosure and racial attacks in support of Iran's political goals. In addition to conducting malicious cyber activity affecting Albanian government websites, MOIS cyber actors were also responsible for the flow of documents allegedly from the Albanian government and personal information linked to Albanian residents, writes Euronea.

As a result of sanctions imposed today, all properties and interests on the property of defined targets subject to US jurisdiction are blocked and American persons are generally forbidden to engage in transactions with them. Moreover, any subject owned by 50 percent or more by one or more designated Iranian persons are also blocked.

All transactions by American persons or inside (or transit) of the United States involving any property or interest in the property of designated or blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific OFAC license.