US Declares Iran, 5 Other States as Adversaries in Communication Technologies
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The US Department of Commerce issued an order on ensuring security in the field of information and communication technologies, according to which Iran, Russia, China, Venezuela, North Korea, and Cuba are declared adversaries in this area.
"Pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13873, 'Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) Supply Chain,' today U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross issued an interim final rule to address the national security, economic security, and public health and safety concerns related to ICTS Transactions. The rule will ensure the resilience of, and trust in, our Nation’s ICTS supply chain, and, for the purposes of this rule, identifies six foreign governments or foreign non-government persons as foreign adversaries: the People’s Republic of China (China), the Russian Federation (Russia), the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran), the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), the Republic of Cuba (Cuba), and Venezuelan politician Nicolas Maduro (Maduro Regime)," the statement released by the department on Thursday said.
"Since day one, President Trump has been committed to protecting the national security of all Americans, and the implementation of this rule is a pivotal moment in this Administration’s efforts to put America First and hold bad actors accountable. Aggressively securing the ICTS supply chain will protect American citizens and businesses from vulnerabilities that could undermine the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their personal information or sensitive data by malicious foreign adversaries and those who wish harm on the United States," Secretary Ross was quoted in the statement.
Nevertheless, Iran has regularly thwarted cyber-attacks by the US government against its sensitive sites and infrastructures during previous years.
In February, 2020, head of Iran's Civil Defense Organization Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali said the country had foiled a large-scale cyber attack targeting the country’s infrastructure carried out by the US government.
“The recent cyber attack on the country’s infrastructure was a DDOS type and aimed at blocking (public) services…,” he added.
In a post on his Twitter account back in June, 2020, Iranian Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi also said the country had managed to thwart about 33 million cyber-attacks against its sensitive sites in 2019.
