Iran repelled a large-scale cyberattack against its infrastructure on Sunday, announced the director of the company in charge of telecommunications infrastructure, following a powerful explosion that damaged its largest container port and a new series of talks with the United States on Tehran's nuclear program.

"One of the largest and most complex cyberattacks against the country's infrastructure has been identified and preventive measures have been taken," announced Behzad Akbari on Monday, without providing further details, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tehran and Washington concluded a third round of nuclear negotiations Saturday in Oman, on the same day Iran's largest port, Bandar Abbas, was rocked by a gigantic explosion whose cause remains unknown. Chemicals present in the port are suspected to have fueled the blast, but the exact cause has not been identified, and the Iranian Defense Ministry has denied international media reports suggesting the explosion might be related to mishandling solid fuel used for missiles.

Iran has previously accused its arch-enemy, Israel, of being behind cyberattacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that Iran's nuclear infrastructure should be completely dismantled, not just limited, to prevent the development of atomic weapons.

In 2021, a large-scale cyberattack against Iranian gas stations was reported by Tehran as likely caused by Israel. A similar but more significant cyberattack disrupted about 70 percent of gas stations the following year. A group called "Predatory Sparrow" claimed the operation was conducted in response to "the aggression of the Islamic Republic and its proxies in the region."