The United States is investigating suspected Iranian involvement in a series of cyber-attacks that targeted water systems across at least seven states, with Minnesota reporting that more than 30 of its water systems were hit in what officials described as a co-ordinated attack.
FBI Confirms Degradation of Water Operations
The FBI confirmed that some of the attacks had degraded water operations. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is looking into a possible Iranian connection to the Minnesota incidents, though the agency declined to comment publicly.
Investigators are examining a possible Iranian connection after cyber-assaults impacted water systems in at least seven states in the US. President Donald Trump has not directly blamed Iran. At a cabinet meeting last Friday, July 31, he instead faulted "grossly incompetent" Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat.
Walz pushed back, saying: "Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too."
Is Iran Behind the Attacks?
Cyber experts who spoke to the BBC said the evidence points towards Tehran. Morgan Wright, a former US State Department anti-terror adviser, noted that such attacks are typically traced back to either North Korea or Iran, adding that Iran has both the capability and the motivation given the current state of US-Iran relations.
Investigators are also considering whether the hackers may have posed as Iran-based actors to deepen divisions within the United States, according to CBS. Jake Braun, former acting White House Deputy National Cyber Director, told the BBC that the Trump administration may be reluctant to publicly confirm Iranian involvement even if investigators establish it, given the ongoing information war between the two countries.
Iran has not commented on the latest attacks. Tehran has consistently denied responsibility for past cyber operations against US targets, including attacks on water systems, presidential campaigns, hospitals, and a Las Vegas casino company in 2014.
The Handala Group and Iran's Hacking History
As reported by BBC, most Iranian cyber-attacks against the US and Israel this year have been carried out by a group called Handala. The US Justice Department has linked the group to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security. The last US attack claimed by Handala before the Minnesota incident was in mid-June, when the group said it breached a California water facility in response to a US strike on Iranian water infrastructure.
Iran's cyber history stretches back years. In 2023 and 2024, water and wastewater systems were compromised by a group linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, temporarily shutting down pressure-regulating equipment in two Pennsylvania towns. In 2024, Iran was accused of hacking US presidential campaigns to undermine electoral confidence.
Can US Water Supplies Be Endangered?
Experts said the immediate threat was less about contaminating water and more about eroding public trust in government services. Wright warned, however, that successful attacks could lead to harmful chemical distribution, water shutoffs, or equipment damage.
CISA and the US Environmental Protection Agency have jointly described cyber-attacks as "a serious concern" for water utilities. The US operates 152,000 public drinking water systems and over 16,000 wastewater treatment facilities. Experts told the BBC that without significant investment in upgrading ageing infrastructure and security systems, the threat will persist.
Iran Airstrike Kills 2 US Soldiers, 1 Missing
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the United States military confirmed on Saturday, July 18, that two of its service members were killed and one remains missing following a direct Iranian attack on an American base in Jordan, marking the first US troop deaths from Iranian fire since the earliest days of the conflict.
The attack, which took place on Friday, July 17, involved a combination of Iranian ballistic missiles and drone strikes. Four additional service members who sustained injuries were evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and subsequently discharged. The identities of those killed have not been released.
