The chief editor of Iranian Arabic-language newspaper Al Vafagh has claimed that Saudi Arabia was behind the weekend hack of the newspaper�s website, which is part of the state-run news agency IRNA.





Not only did the hackers paralyze the work of�the newspaper�s� website for�a whole two days, but�they also posted a photo of�Saudi Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Nayef.

Radio Sputnik asked the newspaper�s editor-in-chief Mosib Na�imi to�elaborate on�the situation.
�Cyber wars have recently become very popular in�various parts of�the globe. Unfortunately, our country�s ill-wishers keep bending international laws by�trying to�gag major media outlets,� Mosib Na�imi said.


The hack attack� came four days after�Saudi newspaper Al-Watan said that its website had come under�a similar attack by�hackers �from outside�Saudi Arabia� who posted false statements by�Saudi Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Nayef.


�This time round�the hackers posted the portrait of�the Saudi Foreign Minister, a telltale sign of�who was behind�all this attack. Our technicians have determined that the attack originated from�outside this country.�

Mosib Na�imi said that at�the time of�the attack �it seemed that all� data from�the newspaper�s website had disappeared, but�our team of�IT specialists prevented a complete loss of�information.�

�Our website has been fully restored and we have already managed to�determine the source of�this attack. Right now we are investigating the incident and an official statement will be following,� Mosib Na�imi noted.

Mr. Nai�mi said that even though relations between�the two countries have seriously deteriorated over�the past�few months it was still not a reason to�unleash a cyberwar, adding that Al Vafagh reserved the right to�file a lawsuit with�pertinent international organizations.

�It doesn�t matter whether we have diplomatic relations with�Saudi Arabia or not. Through international organizations we can demand that the Saudi authorities help us find the perpetrators of�this crime and bring them to�justice.�
�In any case it is clear that the Saudis could not have staged an attack of�this magnitude alone. This flies in�the face of�all existing international media laws so the Saudi hackers or those who were ordered to�do this by�Riyadh must not go unpunished,� Mosib Na�imi said in�conclusion.


Tehran earlier claimed that a recent cyber-attack against�one of�its government websites originated from�Saudi Arabia.
Brigadier General Seyed Kamal Hadianfar, chief of�Iran�s Cyber Police (FATA) announced that his agency had managed to�identify the IP addresses of�hackers responsible for�an attack against�the Statistical Center of�Iran�s website.

According to�the general, the perpetrators were traced to�three Arabian countries, and the entire attack was coordinated by�a mastermind residing in�Saudi Arabia.

Relations between�Iran and Saudi Arabia soured following�the January 2016 execution of�Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in�Saudi Arabia, an outspoken critic of�the Saudi monarchy, along�with 46 other people convicted of�terrorism.
By Sputnik News