Putin, Rouhani Condemn Use of Stuxnet Virus Against Iran Nuclear Facilities

Russia and Iran condemn the attacks of the Stuxnet virus on the Iranian nuclear objects, believing that it is necessary to elaborate rules of countries’ behavior in the information space under the auspices of the United Nations, the presidents of the two countries said in a statement Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – In October, former US Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. James Cartwright pleaded guilty to lying during a 2012 federal investigation into the leak that exposed the Stuxnet computer worm.

The United States and Israel are believed to be behind Stuxnet, a malicious computer code that targeted and ultimately disabled parts of Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.

"The sides condemned the attempts to use force or threat of force in the information space, such as the attack on the Iranian nuclear objects with the use of the Stuxnet computer program, as well as any attempts to use information and communications technology for malicious purposes," the statement reads.

According to the statement, the presidents pointed out the need to work out the rules of "responsible behavior of states in the information space under the auspices of the United Nations," and said that their countries were ready to cooperate in this field.