TEHRAN (AFP) -
Iran
on Saturday denied supporting cyber attacks against the United States
after a New York court indicted seven Iranians over hacking dozens of
American banks and a major dam.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has
never had dangerous cyber actions on its agenda and does not support
such measures," Hossein Jaber Ansari, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
The United States on Thursday
announced computer hacking charges against seven Iranians who it said
worked for firms linked to the Iranian government, accusing them of
infiltrating nearly 50 banks and financial institutions, as well as a
major New York dam.
The announcement comes after a nuclear
agreement last year between Iran, the United States and five other major
powers raised hopes for better relations between Tehran and Washington.
In
a standoff that lasted more than a decade, the US and the European
Union imposed sanctions in a bid to stymie Tehran's disputed nuclear
programme and ensure a bomb was out of reach. Iran persistently denied
seeking atomic weapons.
The United States and Israel allegedly
attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in 2010 with a computer a virus
called Stuxnet, although neither government has acknowledged it.
The
virus, which temporarily hobbled Iran's nuclear refining facilities,
was believed to be the first programme designed not just to steal
information or hijack computers, but to damage equipment.
"The
United States, which with its cyber attacks against Iran's peaceful
nuclear facilities put millions of innocent Iranians at the risk of a
environmental disaster is in no position to accuse citizens of other
countries, including those of Iran," Ansari said.
© 2016 AFP
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