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The hacker group Predatory Sparrow claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a cyberattack targeting Bank Sepah, one of Iran’s oldest financial institutions with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Army.
The group alleged it had “destroyed all data” at the bank.The claim comes amid reports of widespread banking disruptions in Iran.
Several Bank Sepah branches were closed on Tuesday, and customers told Iran International they were unable to access their accounts.
Bank Sepah has 1,800 branches in Iran and others in Britain, France, Germany and Italy. The United States imposed sanctions on Bank Sepah in 2019 after it withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal.
Users also reported that cards issued by Kosar and Ansar -- both linked to Iran’s military --banks were not functioning. Ansar was also under US sanctions.
Iranian authorities have not commented on the outages or the cyberattack. However, IRGC’s Fars news said that the issue at Sepah Bank will be resolved within a few hours
Predatory Sparrow, which has previously claimed cyber operations against Iranian steel plants and fuel stations, said in a social media post that Bank Sepah had been used to finance military programs and circumvent international sanctions.
The group, which Iran has previously accused of having foreign backing, notably from Israel, said it had targeted the bank for its alleged role in supporting Iran’s missile and nuclear efforts.
Iran has ordered the immediate recall of all doctors and nurses from their time off, state media reported on Tuesday.
Several branches of Iran’s Bank Sepah were reported closed on Tuesday, with customers saying they were unable to access their accounts, according to witness reports shared with Iran International.
“We went to the branch, and it was closed. We have no access to our account,” one customer told the outlet.
Separately, users reported widespread issues with debit cards from Ansar Bank and Kosar Bank, saying transactions had been failing since the morning.
All the three banks are linked to Iran’s military.
There was no immediate comment from the banks or Iranian authorities on the reported outages.
A Frontline (FRO.OL) oil tanker,Front Eagle, was involved in a ship collision near the Strait of Hormuz, Norwegian business daily DN reported on Tuesday, citing the company.
Further details, including the extent of damage or potential environmental impact, were not immediately available.
The Strait of Hormuz, southern Iran, is a key chokepoint for global oil shipments. Iran has threatened to close the strategic waterway in the wake of the conflict.
The United Arab Emirates coast guard said on Tuesday it had evacuated 24 people from oil tanker ADALYNN following a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.
British maritime security firm Ambrey earlier reported an incident 22 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, and said the cause of the incident was not security-related.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Tuesday he sees no indication of de-escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
