Iranian Team Wary of Eavesdropping on Nuclear Talks: Negotiator
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian negotiators in nuclear talks with world powers have been keeping a wary eye on eavesdropping on the talks, a member of Iran’s team said after revelations that a computer virus, widely used by Israeli spies, had attacked the hotels hosting Iran nuclear negotiations.
“Regardless of the recent reports about a spyware, the Iranian negotiators have always considered the possibility of eavesdropping and danger and are vigilant at all times,” a member of Iran’s team of nuclear negotiators said on Thursday.
The comments came after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday that a computer virus, widely used by Israeli spies, had attacked the hotels hosting nuclear talks between Iran and six powers.
Russian-based Cybersecurity Company Kaspersky said on Wednesday that the malware dubbed Duqu, a sophisticated spy tool that was believed to have been eradicated in 2012, appeared to have been used to spy on the talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
The malware has been characterized as an invigorated version of the Duqu virus, associated with Tel Aviv’s “most sensitive intelligence-collection operations,” the paper wrote.
Switzerland and Austria are investigating the allegations of spying at the negotiations.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) are in talks to hammer out a lasting agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), end more than a decade of impasse over Tehran's civilian nuclear program.
They have held several rounds of talks in recent months, mostly at hotels in Austria’s Vienna and the Swiss cities of Geneva and Lausanne.