MINNEAPOLIS — President Donald Trump blamed the state of Minnesota and Gov. Tim Walz for the coordinated cyberattack on over 30 water systems across the state even as officials say the attacks may have been carried out by Iran.

“They blame it on Iran, I don’t think so ... I blame it on Minnesota because they’re grossly incompetent,” Trump said at news conference Friday. “There was a cyberattack 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,” he added.

Trump’s remarks, given ahead of a slate of updates on the conflict in Iran, stand in contrast with the information other officials have received on the cyberattack — which also appeared to hit other states.

Minnesota state officials have been briefed that Iran was likely responsible for the attack. Federal and state officials also told The New York Times that investigators think the cyberattack may have been carried out by Iranian hackers.

“Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too,“ Walz said in a statement responding to Trump’s remarks. ”This is what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there’s no plan to win a war with Iran.”

Asked if he could rule out Iran was behind the cyberattack, Trump doubled down on his criticism of the state: “I don’t think there was an Iranian cyberattack, I think that Minnesota ought to get its act together.”

From Sunday into Monday, cities across the state discovered outages and disruptions to their water utilities’ automated operating controls.

Officials said the attacks did not have an impact on any of the cities’ water quality and that the drinking water is still safe. City leaders also said that water and wastewater services are fully operational.

Emily Zimmer, a spokesperson for Minnesota IT Services, said there had been no ransom demand connected to the attack.

“The activity appears consistent with a broader campaign targeting similar types of facilities across the country,” Zimmer said in an email Tuesday after the attack was discovered.

State and federal agencies including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency and the FBI are investigating the cyberattack. Minnesota IT Services and the Minnesota Department of Health are working with affected communities to continue assessing their water systems.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Friday that she’s been briefed by the U.S. National Cyber director on the attack but did not say if she knew who was behind it. She also called for strong coordination across local and federal agencies and said in a statement “the FBI and EPA are warning utilities that hackers are trying to disrupt critical water infrastructure.”

Walz blamed the Department of Government Efficiency for gutting the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is responsible for thwarting cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

“DOGE took an ax to CISA and left the U.S. exposed to cyberattacks,” Walz said. “Thankfully, our experts in Minnesota were able to identify the vulnerability quickly and work with local communities to stop it.”

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(Sarah Ritter of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.)

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