I just saw that several state-owned banks in Iran are experiencing simultaneous failures, with ATMs, online banking, and card machines all down. If this is a prelude to cyber warfare, then the fragility of Middle Eastern financial infrastructure has been exposed too thoroughly.

Crypto World News reports that, according to Iranian media on the 13th, some banks in Iran experienced technical malfunctions on the 13th. The affected banks include Bank Melli Iran, Export Development Bank of Iran, Bank of Iran, and others. According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, starting earlier on the 13th, some customers reported that some services and banking systems at the above banks were operating abnormally, including mobile banking, online banking, ATMs, card readers, and some debit card services. Iran’s Fars News Agency said there are reports that a possible cyberattack may have occurred, but this has not yet been officially confirmed. The relevant banks said their technical departments are investigating the cause of the malfunctions and have begun repair work. Ghaffar, Secretary of the Iranian State-Owned Banks Coordination Committee, said on the 13th that necessary repair measures have been taken.