At least eight Iranian banks, including three major institutions Bank Melli, Bank Saderat, and Bank Tejarat, are experiencing severe service disruptions described as a cyberattack, according to Iranian media. State television acknowledged the attack on the three largest banks, while authorities attributed outages at five others to a 'central switch update.' A fuel station union official advised paying in cash.
State television in Iran acknowledged on Wednesday morning, June 24, that a real-time cyberattack is ongoing against Bank Melli, Bank Saderat, and Bank Tejarat, confirming the three largest institutions are among those hit by the second major banking disruption in June. The admission came hours after Iranian Telegram channels first reported widespread service failures affecting at least eight banks nationwide. Authorities attributed outages at five other banks to a 'central switch update' expected to take several hours to resolve, while state media did not address those incidents directly. A fuel station union official advised paying in cash, citing a low probability of successful electronic payment.
The development follows a thread of reporting by The Zioneer since June 13. On Saturday June 13, we reported the first cyberattack on four major Iranian banks, including Bank Melli and Bank Tejarat. By Tuesday June 16, customers reported persistent failures into a third day. On Sunday June 21, Iran's central bank acknowledged that attack had not been fully resolved. On Tuesday June 23, we initially reported a new wave of banking disruptions across the country as a 'widespread glitch,' then updated within the same hour to identify a cyberattack targeting Bank Melli and Bank Tejarat. The Wednesday state television confirmation now adds Bank Saderat to the list of confirmed targets and explicitly labels the event a cyberattack — moving the thread from unverified Telegram reports to official acknowledgment.
This second wave of bank cyberattacks within two weeks, as The Zioneer has previously reported, underscores the ongoing vulnerability of Iran's financial infrastructure. The June 7 nationwide internet blackout imposed by Tehran amid heightened security tensions and diplomatic activity — reported by The Zioneer at the time — provides a broader context of Iran's digital infrastructure under strain during periods of crisis.
It remains unverified whether the incident at the five additional banks attributed to a 'central switch update' is genuinely a technical glitch or a cover for a wider cyber intrusion. The extent of data compromise, the identity of the attackers, and whether the two June waves are connected have not been officially confirmed.
3 developments
- StrongCustomers at four major Iranian banks report payment failures persist into third day after cyberattack
- DevelopingIran's central bank admits cyberattack on four banks not fully resolved
- StrongReports: Funds vanish from accounts of several Iranian citizens
- DevelopingReports of internet, mobile, power and water disruptions across Iran
Source and signal
- Internal intake