Iran says card-based banking hit by cyberattack on three lenders

Iran’s state-owned banking technology provider says that cyberattacks disrupted card-based banking services at Bank Melli, Bank Saderat and Bank Tejarat.

This prompted a temporary suspension of all card-related operations at the three banks to prevent further unauthorized access, the company tells state TV, with cybersecurity teams working to restore normal operations.

The company’s public relations head says ATM services, point-of-sale terminals and mobile applications linked to card systems were all affected.

Major banks including Melli, Saderat, Tejarat and the Export Development Bank of Iran have faced disruptions first reported on June 14 after a cyberattack targeting a shared communication infrastructure, Iran’s banking coordination council has said. Iranian state media said those took several days to resolve.

Officials have said the earlier incident did not compromise customer data. There has been no official statement on who Iran thinks was behind the recent cyberattacks.

Iranian authorities have previously blamed hostile foreign actors such as Israel for similar incidents. Israel has previously not commented on such allegations.