A U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) spokesperson said "at this time, there is no confirmation that this was the action of Iranian state-sponsored actors."

The U.S. Defense Department has justified the killing, saying the 62-year-old general “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”

Iran has been increasing its cyber capabilities but is not in the same league as China or Russia — which has proven most adept at sabotaging critical infrastructure, witnessed in attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and elections, experts agree.