The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday that it has unsealed a 14-count indictment against 17 Iranian nationals. Federal prosecutors allege that these individuals were involved in a massive, coordinated cyber theft campaign targeting both American and foreign institutions.

According to the indictment, the defendants are associated with the Mabna Institute, a company based in Iran. Prosecutors claim the group conducted these cyber operations on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian military. The charges suggest that the campaign was designed to steal sensitive data and intellectual property from various organizations, though the specific nature of the stolen information and the full scope of the impact on the targeted institutions were not detailed in the initial report.

As this is an ongoing legal matter, the defendants remain at large, and the Iranian government has not yet issued a formal response to the specific charges brought by the DOJ. The case highlights the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran regarding state-sponsored cyber activities and the use of private entities to conduct operations against foreign interests.