X suspends 13,000 accounts linked to Iran, Russia and China ahead of US midterms

Oct 15, 2026

Ahead of the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterm elections, social media platform X suspended over 13,000 accounts linked to state-backed foreign influence operations from Iran, Russia, and China. The networks deployed fake accounts to target candidates across the political spectrum. Concurrently, U.S. intelligence officials and researchers warn that foreign adversaries are utilizing generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to amplify propaganda and sow division.

X suspensions of foreign influence accounts

▪Twitter, the former name of social platform X, previously suspended 238 accounts linked to Iranian influence operations in 2021.
▪X identified and suspended the 13,000 foreign accounts through proactive sweeps and investigations conducted under platform rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behavior.
▪X reported that foreign influence networks used fake accounts to post and amplify political content targeting U.S. political candidates and public figures across the political spectrum.
▪Social media platform X suspended over 13,000 accounts on October 14, 2026, linked to foreign influence operations from Iran, Russia, and China targeting U.S. political debate.

X election integrity measures

▪Ahead of the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterms, X established rules prohibiting misleading voting information, turnout suppression, and voter intimidation near polling stations.
▪X allowed users to report election-related posts using a civic integrity option to request Community Notes and enabled platform labels for urgent rule violations.

Generative AI in foreign influence operations

▪OpenAI shut down two influence operations originating from Russia and Iran that utilized ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas and run a think tank spreading anti-Ukraine propaganda.
▪U.S. adversaries Russia, Iran, and China used generative artificial intelligence tools, including OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude, to plan large-scale political propaganda campaigns.
▪U.S. intelligence officials and researchers warned that foreign malign actors could deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to target the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterm elections.