Cyber group hacks Iran’s nuclear company email system, demands release of detainees

The hackers gave the Iranian regime 24 hours to release detained political prisoners and protesters, according to the group’s Twitter account. (Twitter)
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Updated 22 October 2022
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Cyber group hacks Iran’s nuclear company email system, demands release of detainees

DUBAI: An Iranian cyber group has reportedly hacked the internal email system of Iran’s Nuclear Power Production and Development Company on Friday, demanding the release of detained activists.
Hackers from the group called “Black Reward” have threatened to leak the company’s internal data, according to the group’s Twitter account, cited by Al Arabiya news website.
The group gave the Iranian regime 24 hours to release detained political prisoners and protesters, the report cited the statement issued by the hackers.
They also threatened to publish documents that would affect what they described as the “dirty nuclear project of the Mullahs’ regime.” 
Anti-government protests have entered their fifth week in Iran after sweeping the country following the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini.
Since then, security forces have waged a violent crackdown on protesters around the country, killing scores, injuring hundreds, and detaining several thousand people.


Bahrain arrests four for spying for Iran’s IRGC as Gulf attacks intensify

Updated 12 March 2026
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Bahrain arrests four for spying for Iran’s IRGC as Gulf attacks intensify

  • Investigators said the suspects were found to have sent pictures and coordinates of vital locations in Bahrain to the IRGC via encrypted software

MANAMA: Bahrain has detained four citizens suspected of spying for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as Tehran’s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states show no signs of letting up.

Bahrain’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science identified the four detainees as Murtadha Hussain Awal, 25; Ahmed Isa Al Haiki, 34; Sarah Abdulnabi Marhoon, 36; and Elias Salman Mirza, 22. A fifth suspect, Ali Mohammed Hassan Al Shaikh, 25, remains at large abroad.

Investigators said Murtadha Hussain and his cohorts, acting on IRGC instructions, used high-resolution equipment to photograph and record coordinates of vital locations in Bahrain, transmitting the data to the IRGC via encrypted software.

The arrests come as Iran escalates attacks across the Gulf. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry issued an advisory urging residents in Hidd, Arad, Qalali and Samaheej to stay indoors and seal windows against smoke from fires sparked by Iranian strikes. Fuel tanks at a facility in Muharraq Governorate, northeast of Manama, were among the targets. Oman’s Port of Salalah also battled blazes at fuel storage tanks following separate Iranian drone strikes.

Elsewhere in the region, two Iranian drones struck near Dubai International Airport, wounding four people, though flights continued uninterrupted. A fire broke out at a luxury apartment tower in Dubai Creek Harbour after another drone hit — extinguished by Thursday morning.

Iran also targeted commercial ships and struck what officials described as the world’s busiest international airport on Wednesday, as US and Israeli strikes continued to pound Tehran.

A war now 12 days old — and costly

The conflict began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iran. Tehran has since retaliated by targeting Gulf states, US and Israeli assets, and critical energy infrastructure.

Iran has declared a blockade on energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil and gas flows, sending commodity prices surging and rattling international markets.

The Pentagon told Congress this week that the first week of war cost the United States $11.3 billion — including $5 billion in munitions in the conflict’s opening weekend alone.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday voted to approve a resolution demanding a halt to Iran’s attacks on its Gulf neighbors. Bahrain’s UN Ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei welcomed the move.

“The international community is resolute in rejecting these Iranian attacks against sovereign countries that are threatening the stability of the peoples, especially in a region of strategic importance to global economy, energy security and global trade,” he said.

Despite the resolution, there were no immediate signs the conflict was easing.

(With AP)