New York Times: If Diplomacy Fails, the U.S. Had a Comprehensive Cyber Attack Plan Against Iran

The New York Times reported on Tuesday, February 16, citing a documentary film and intelligence and military sources, that the U.S. had a comprehensive plan for a cyber attack on Iran in case diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute failed. According to the report, the name of this plan was "Nitro Zeus," and its goal was to incapacitate Iran's air defense systems, communication systems, and key parts of its electrical grid. However, following the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, this program was shelved. Iran and the six world powers reached an agreement in July of this year to find a solution to end the Iranian nuclear dispute. Under this agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the international community lifting nuclear sanctions against Tehran. The New York Times stated that the "Nitro Zeus" plan was prepared by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, to provide President Barack Obama with an alternative to war in response to potential Iranian actions. The report also specified that at one point, thousands of U.S. intelligence and military personnel were involved in this plan. It added that the plan called for spending tens of millions of dollars and installing electronic devices in Iran's computer networks. The New York Times also mentioned that simultaneously with "Nitro Zeus," U.S. intelligence agencies had a separate plan for a cyber attack to disable the Fordow uranium enrichment facility in Qom. The report states that a documentary film titled "Zero Day," which is set to be screened on Wednesday at the Berlin Film Festival, addresses the "Nitro Zeus" plan. According to the New York Times, this documentary discusses issues such as the escalation of tensions between Iran and the West in the years leading up to the nuclear agreement, the Stuxnet computer virus attack on the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, and the discussions in the Pentagon regarding the use of such tactics against Iran. The Stuxnet malware issue in Iran was first reported by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian cybersecurity company, which claimed that prior to Stuxnet, the company "Kala Electric," which played a role in producing centrifuges for the Natanz nuclear facility, was the primary target of the first attack. The New York Times stated that it attempted to interview officials from the White House, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for confirmation regarding the "Nitro Zeus" plan, but they declined to comment on the matter. Reuters also reported that the U.S. Department of Defense refrained from responding to the news agency's request for information on this matter.