One theory suggests that this was really an exploratory mission: Iran may have been looking for data that could compromise the UK's interests or force it to make concessions. Iran may have been looking for an advantage in trade, too. There's even the possibility that factions in Iran's Revolutionary Guard were trying to undermine the country's anti-nuclear proliferation deal in a bid to cancel it, giving officials the excuse they needed to resume full nuclear technology research.

It's that last part which has politicians worried. Reportedly, officials said the link between Iran and the cyberattack has "complicated" Prime Minister Theresa May's attempts to protect the nuclear deal. They didn't believe it changed the argument in favor of the deal (if anything, it shows why Iran must be contained), but it's no longer as simple as claiming that Iran has turned a corner.