Israel: We Did Not Spy in Hotels Where Iran Negotiations Took Place

The Israeli Deputy Defense Minister dismissed reports of the country spying on hotels where nuclear negotiations with Iran were held, calling it a "ridiculous" claim. According to the German news agency, Eli Ben Dahan stated on Wednesday, June 20, "The possibility that Israel engaged in Wi-Fi internet spying in hotels and other systems is absurd." The Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky reported that a spyware virus was found in three hotels hosting the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group, which many experts believe was used by Israeli spies. This information was published by the American newspaper Wall Street Journal on Wednesday based on Kaspersky's findings. According to the Wall Street Journal, Kaspersky specialists concluded that the three hotels where the nuclear negotiations took place were targeted by this virus. The malware attack known as "Stuxnet" on Iranian facilities is one of the most newsworthy cyberattacks in recent years, identified in 2010. During this time, viruses and malware other than Stuxnet, such as Duqu, Flame, and Gauss, have also attacked Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. Kaspersky now reports that the spyware targeting the mentioned hotels is an improved version of the "Duqu" virus, which was identified by specialists in 2011. According to the Wall Street Journal, current and former American officials, as well as many cybersecurity experts, say that the Duqu virus was designed for Israel's most sensitive intelligence operations. Senior American officials previously stated on March 23 of this year that Israel was spying on the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group.