IC Operations & Tradecraft — 2026-10-17

X Removes 13000 Fake Accounts Linked to Iran Russia and China Foreign Influence Operations Ahead of US Midterms

BLUFParallel Iranian, Russian, and Chinese influence campaigns now spanning both social media and AI platforms signal a coordinated escalation aimed at degrading trust in U.S. political discourse before the November midterms.

X's Global Government Affairs account announced on October 14 that it suspended more than 13,000 accounts tied to three suspected foreign influence operations linked to Iran, Russia and China 12. X said the networks used inauthentic accounts to post and amplify content targeting candidates and public figures across the political spectrum, and that it found them through "proactive sweeps and investigations" 13. X did not specify how many accounts belonged to each country, and Eurasia Review noted it released no supporting evidence 12. The Cyber Express and Yahoo News reported that OpenAI disclosed disrupting two Russian and Iranian operations a week earlier 34, while Eurasia Review cited a separate June 10 OpenAI disruption of two China-linked operations 2.

Analysis
Iran, Russia and China are running parallel operations against US political conversation ahead of the November 3 midterms, and the targeting of candidates and public figures across the spectrum points to disrupting debate rather than backing one party. The same-week OpenAI reports show influence activity now spans social media and AI tools. Confidence is high because X's primary statement is confirmed by four outlets that agree on the count, the countries and the timing. But those outlets largely echo a single origin, and X released no country breakdown or attribution evidence, so each state's share and the accounts' real reach remain unknown. X may also be publicizing election-integrity credentials, and the 13,000 figure could include spam accounts only loosely tied to state actors.

5 sources

X suspends 13,000 accounts linked to Iran, China and Russia 'targeting US politics' - Middle East Eye
X Suspends 13,000 Accounts Linked To China, Russia And Iran - Eurasia Review
X Removes 13,000 Fake Accounts Ahead of US Midterm Elections - The Cyber Express
X suspends 13,000 accounts, alleging foreign influence ahead of US midterms - Yahoo News
X Global Government Affairs announcement on suspending 13,000+ accounts tied to three suspected foreign influence operations (Iran, Russia, China) - X Global Government Affairs (X)