The United Arab Emirates has suspended trade and financial dealings with Iran until further notice amid escalating regional tensions. The decision comes as US authorities have expanded a long-running case involving an alleged Iranian hacking network.
The UAE announced the suspension on Tuesday, covering trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran.
“In light of regional escalations… all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice,” UAE foreign ministry communications director Afra Al Hameli said.
The move marks a significant development in economic ties between the two countries. It also comes as tensions continue to rise across the region.
US Expands Iranian Hacking Prosecution
Meanwhile, US authorities have expanded their prosecution of an alleged Iranian hacking network.
The latest action brings the total number of indicted suspects to 17. Prosecutors accuse the group of targeting universities, companies and government agencies.
The US Department of Justice announced a new indictment against eight additional individuals on Tuesday.
Nine of the 17 defendants had already faced indictments in 2018.
US prosecutors are offering a $10 million reward for information that leads to the prosecution of five suspects.
The suspects are Behzad Mesri, Mojtaba Galekuhi, Arman Kahzadian, Keyvan Fayaz and Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh.
Authorities have linked all five to the Mabna Institute in Iran. Prosecutors allege that the organisation conducted hacking operations for the Iranian government and Revolutionary Guards.
Hackers Targeted Universities and Companies
According to prosecutors, the hacking campaign mainly operated between 2013 and 2017.
The alleged attacks focused heavily on stealing scientific information and intellectual property.
The expanded case covers 144 US universities and 178 universities in other countries. It also includes at least 42 US companies and 11 foreign firms.
Five US government agencies and two non-governmental organisations also reportedly faced attacks.
The hackers allegedly targeted more than 100,000 accounts belonging to university professors.
US authorities believe the suspects stole around 31.5 terabytes of data. The stolen material reportedly included scientific papers, dissertations and other research.
The scale of the alleged campaign highlights the long-term impact of cyberattacks targeting academic and research institutions.
US Authorities Maintain Pressure on Suspects
US Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York said authorities would continue pursuing suspects despite the passage of time.
“More than eight years after making the original indictment public, these charges make clear that the passage of time will not deter us from identifying and pursuing those who target the United States from abroad,” said US Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York.
The US Treasury had previously imposed sanctions on nine individuals in 2018. Those individuals were among the suspects initially indicted in the case.
Authorities also sanctioned a tenth suspect over an alleged extortion attempt involving HBO.
That suspect allegedly stole the script of an unaired episode of the popular television series “Game of Thrones.”
The expanded prosecution shows that US authorities continue to pursue alleged foreign cyber operations years after the initial investigations began.
At the same time, the UAE’s suspension of trade and financial dealings with Iran adds another layer to the region’s growing diplomatic and economic tensions.
