President Donald Trump said Iran was not responsible for a cyberattack affecting Minnesota, shifting blame instead toward Minnesota officials. His comments were reported in the context of a Cabinet meeting, where he repeated claims linking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the incident.
The allegations have drawn scrutiny because available evidence cited in other coverage points toward Iran-linked activity rather than wrongdoing by Minnesota officials. Fact-checkers described Trump’s claim that Walz was “behind” the attack as baseless and repeated earlier debunked assertions.
The incident was part of a broader series of cyberattacks targeting municipal water systems. The FBI said hackers had targeted water systems in seven states during the week, although the available reports did not establish that every attack had the same origin or motive.
The competing accounts reflect uncertainty over attribution and responsibility. Trump’s remarks assigned blame to state officials and rejected Iran’s involvement, while other reporting said the evidence pointed in the opposite direction. Further investigation would be needed to determine who carried out the attacks and whether the incidents were connected.
Related Coverage
- Fact check: Trump baselessly claims Walz is ‘behind’ cyberattack, repeats debunked claims at Cabinet meeting
- Trump blames Minnesota officials, not Iran for water cyberattacks
- Hackers targeted municipal water systems in 7 states this week, FBI says
- Trump blames Minnesota water hacks on Walz, while evidence points to Iran