Trump pooh-poohs Iran’s potential role in Minnesota water facility hacks

Administration Trump pooh-poohs Iran’s potential role in Minnesota water facility hacks Comments: by Finya Swai - 07/31/26 3:42 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 07/31/26 3:42 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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President Trump said Friday he doesn’t believe Iran was behind a cyberattack on Minnesota water systems and instead placed the blame on state officials for being “grossly incompetent.”

His comments ran counter to reports that U.S. officials suspected Iranian involvement in the coordinated attack on 30 municipal water systems, according to a preliminary assessment shared by state and federal officials warning of possible Iranian-affiliated hackers.

“We heard in Minnesota there was a cyberattack, and they blame it on Iran. I don’t think so,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland. “I think I blame it on Minnesota because they’re grossly incompetent.”

The president went on to blame Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) for the cyberattacks earlier this week.

“I would blame it on Minnesota and the governor, the corrupt governor of Minnesota,” Trump said. “They like to say, ‘Oh, is Iran?’ Iran should be so lucky. Iran’s got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota.”

Walz quickly fired back at Trump, suggesting the president was more concerned with attacking the state than addressing the cyber threat or ending the war.

“Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too,” the Minnesota governor said. “This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran.”

In a separate post on the social platform X, Walz wrote, “Trump can’t beat Iran because he’s too busy waging war with Minnesota.”

The FBI released a public service announcement Thursday stating water and wastewater utilities in at least seven unspecified states have reported incidents of cyberattacks, some of which were activity that degraded water operations.

The malicious attacks disrupted automated operations at several water facilities, forcing some communities to temporarily switch to manual controls. State officials said there is no indication that drinking water was contaminated or that residents need to change their water usage.

Minnesota IT Services said it is coordinating its investigation with the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency to identify the source of the attacks.

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