X suspends more than 13,000 accounts in influence operations by the Islamic Republic, Russia and China

The social network X announced on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, that it had suspended more than 13,000 user accounts operating in three suspected foreign influence operations linked to the Islamic Republic, Russia and China. The move has been described as part of X's effort to protect public debate ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections.

According to X, the accounts were inauthentic and were identified through monitoring and proactive investigations. The networks posted and reposted political content and targeted US election candidates and prominent figures across the country's political spectrum. X has not given the number of accounts in each of the three operations separately.

The Islamic Republic's influence operation on social media

This is not the first time an influence operation linked to the Islamic Republic has been exposed online. The company OpenAI had earlier reported an operation originating in Iran that used seven fake journalist identities to publish or republish nearly 100 articles; the company did not confirm that it could be attributed directly to the government. The company Anthropic had also said that actors linked to Islamic Republic institutions used the AI model Claude for government propaganda, influence operations and surveillance of citizens.

The analytics company Cyabra had also earlier identified more than 1,300 fake accounts that presented themselves as British supporters of Scottish independence; the accounts went silent during the 12-day war and then returned to X with a coordinated campaign in support of the Islamic Republic.

From psychological warfare to transnational repression

The exposure of these networks comes as Western security agencies report an expansion of the Islamic Republic's activity beyond its borders. The head of MI5 had warned that the Islamic Republic has targeted British military bases this year, and Unit 840 of the IRGC's Quds Force, responsible for assassinating opponents abroad, has a new commander.

X suspended more than 13,000 fake accounts in three influence operations linked to the Islamic Republic, Russia and China ahead of the US elections.