Cyber Attack on Iran Disrupts Banking Services Amid Ongoing US-Iran Negotiations

  A cyber attack targeting Iran has led to the temporary suspension of services at several banks amid ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran for a ceasefire.
On June 14, Reuters reported that Iran's Banking Coordination Committee announced a cyber attack on the country's shared communication infrastructure, resulting in service interruptions at four banks, including Mellat, Tejarat, Saderat, and the Iran Export Development Bank.
The committee stated that there was no unauthorized access to customer information or data deletion, but recovery efforts are currently underway to restore normal operations.   The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on June 14 that Minister Kim Jeong-kwan met with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy, Abdulaziz bin Salman, and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding cooperation in the oil and gas sector.
The ministry detailed that the two countries agreed to collaborate in several areas, including oil reserves, pipeline infrastructure development, technological innovation in energy resources using artificial intelligence and digital transformation, and enhancing environmental and economic sustainability.
Previously, Minister Kim visited Saudi Arabia in April as a follow-up to a presidential strategic economic envoy visit, where both sides agreed to ensure the timely supply of agreed quantities of crude oil and naphtha by the end of the year.   On June 14, Reuters reported, citing a senior Iranian official, that the final draft of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at ending hostilities between the US and Iran includes provisions for the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the report, Iran has promised to abandon its nuclear weapons program and open the Strait of Hormuz immediately, while the US has agreed to lift maritime sanctions, return frozen funds, and suspend oil sanctions.
The final MOU stipulates that Iran will allow all commercial vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and the US will fully lift its maritime blockade against Iran.   The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is set to investigate the circumstances surrounding the complete reduction of SpaceX shares that were to be allocated to Mirae Asset Securities.
According to financial authorities on June 14, the FSS began inspecting Mirae Asset Securities on June 5 regarding the SpaceX public offering and transitioned to a full investigation last week. Following the cancellation of the stock allocation on June 13, the FSS is now focused on determining the exact circumstances.
The financial investment industry reported that SpaceX initially planned to allocate 2,314,815 shares from a total of 555,555,555 Class A common shares to Mirae Asset Securities. However, it was reported that Goldman Sachs, the lead underwriter, did not allocate any shares to Mirae Asset Securities during the final allocation process, leading to the cancellation.   In light of the recent exchange rate maintaining levels above 1,500 won, senior officials from the US and South Korean foreign exchange authorities have met to discuss strategies to address the depreciation of the won.
On June 14, it was reported that Moon Ji-sung, the Deputy Minister of International Finance at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, traveled to Washington, D.C., on June 12 and returned the same day. During his visit, he met with senior officials from the US Treasury to discuss recent trends in the foreign exchange market.
Notably, it appears that Moon emphasized during the meeting that the recent depreciation of the won is unjustifiable and excessive, considering the favorable conditions in South Korea's semiconductor industry and the overall fundamentals of the economy.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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