Trump Points Finger at Tim Walz for Water Hacks, Despite Likely Iranian Involvement

The FBI, EPA, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have refrained from officially attributing a series of cyberattacks on Minnesota’s water systems to Iran, but there’s a strong belief that the nation is involved. This hasn’t stopped Donald Trump from proposing his own theory, suggesting that Governor Tim Walz is at fault and asserting, “I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack.”

Trump’s remarks followed a warning from the FBI about the spread of cyberattacks targeting American infrastructure, with at least 30 community water systems in Minnesota being hit in what seems to be a coordinated effort. The CISA has previously connected similar incidents earlier this year to Iran, which has been engaged in a fluctuating conflict with the US government. With limited military options, Iran has increasingly relied on cyber tactics to challenge the Trump administration and conduct a public relations campaign.

Throughout his second term, Trump has frequently criticized Minnesota and Governor Walz, even threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act during a period of intensified ICE enforcement in the state that resulted in multiple fatalities.