President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON (Minnesota Reformer) – American intelligence agencies believe Iran is behind a cyber attack on more than 30 Minnesota water systems — plus an unknown number in other states — which came five months into the U.S.-Iran War, according to reporting this week from national news outlets including the New York Times and Washington Post.
“The tradecraft used, and the absence of a ransom demand, had led analysts to tentatively conclude that it was the work of Iranian hackers,” the Times reports.
But President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Minnesota government for the attack on its own critical infrastructure — instead of the country his administration has been at war with since killing its Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei in February.
“We heard in Minnesota there was a cyberattack and they blame it on Iran. I don’t think so. I think I blame it on Minnesota because they’re grossly incompetent. There was a cyber attack of 30 water plants and I would blame it on Minnesota and the governor, the corrupt governor of Minnesota… Iran’s got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota,” Trump said.
Trump’s war, which has destabilized the Middle East and world energy markets, has become deeply unpopular with the public. A recent poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed about two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war has been a mistake. It’s among a slate of potential causes for Trump’s own sinking popularity ahead of crucial midterm elections in the fall.
When asked later by a reporter whether he could rule out Iran being behind the attack, Trump doubled down.
“Minnesota is behind it,” Trump said. “You know who is behind it? Minnesota. Because they’re incompetent. The governor’s really…I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack. I think Minnesota ought to get its act together. It’s one of the worst-run states.”
Iran has repeatedly targeted American cyber infrastructure since the beginning of the war, including the attack on Stryker, the Michigan-based medical equipment manufacturer, which a hacker group said was retaliation for an American strike on an Iranian school that killed 156 civilians, including 120 children.
In a statement, Gov. Tim Walz thanked Minnesota experts for quickly identifying the vulnerability and assisting local communities in recovering. Minnesota authorities say the water supply remains safe.
“Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too,” Walz said. “This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran.”
Walz’s vice presidential candidacy in 2024 made him a frequent foil for Trump’s political attacks, culminating in a flood of immigration agents in the state in January and February, which left two Americans dead, dozens facing dubious federal charges and thousands of immigrants detained and deported.
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