A number of Iranian websites were hacked on Wednesday with the message "Death to Khamenei - greetings to Rajavi" displayed instead of the sites, according to reports. The websites affected were quickly taken down, according to Iranian media.
The message referred to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), an opposition group attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The affected websites include the Justice Ministry, the Center for Mosque Affairs, the Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences and the website of Ahmad Alamolhoda, a senior cleric and Friday prayer leader in the city of Mashhad, according to the MEK.
The attack was reportedly carried out by the cyber elements of the MEK. Ali Ranjbaran, the director of Alamolhoda's website, told the Iranian IRNA news agency that the MEK "repeatedly threatened and insulted" Alamolhoda.
The cyberattack comes just days after the Iranian airline Mahan Air was hit by a cyberattack and the “Hooshyarane Vatan” hacker group claimed responsibility, alleging that it had obtained documents linking the airline to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.