Israeli hackers reportedly bring Iranian port to a standstill

Israel carried out a sophisticated cyber attack on an Iranian port facility 10 days ago, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

The report suggested Israel was behind the hack that brought the “bustling Shahid Rajaee port terminal to an abrupt and inexplicable halt” on May 9. The port is located at Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz.

“Computers that regulate the flow of vessels, trucks and goods all crashed at once, ­creating massive backups on waterways and roads leading to the facility,” the Washington Post reported, adding that it had seen satellite photos showing kilometres-long traffic jams leading to the port and ships still waiting to offload several days later.

The Israeli attack was retaliation for an Iranian cyber attack on a number of water and sewage facilities in Israel last month, the newspaper said.

Israeli officials have declined to comment on the report.