The social media platform X has suspended more than 13,000 accounts it says belonged to three suspected foreign influence operations linked to Iran, Russia and China that sought to shape political debate in the United States — less than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.

The company announced the action on Wednesday, saying its investigations found the networks used fake accounts to post and amplify political content targeting candidates and public figures "across the political spectrum". The suspensions form part of a broader set of election-integrity measures the platform is rolling out ahead of the midterms.

Three networks, one target: American political conversation

X said the three networks were identified through what it called "proactive sweeps and investigations" under its rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behaviour. The company did not disclose how long the networks had been active, how many people they reached, or whether any of the operations were tied to state intelligence agencies.

In its statement, X's Global Government Affairs team struck a familiar note: "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and we are proud that X is the global town square where these debates happen. Our job is to keep that conversation authentic, open, and safe."

The announcement lands in a charged information environment. Iran, Russia and China have all faced repeated Western accusations of running covert influence campaigns aimed at American elections, and US intelligence agencies have warned for years that foreign actors exploit social platforms to deepen political divisions.

The move is far from X's first such crackdown. When the company was still called Twitter, it suspended 238 accounts in 2021 that it said were operating from Iran. This week's action, however, is larger in scale and broader in scope, spanning three attributed networks at once.

New safeguards for November 3

Alongside the suspensions, X outlined rules targeting some of the most corrosive forms of election interference:

  • Voting misinformation: posts that mislead users about how, when or where to vote in the US midterms.
  • Turnout suppression and intimidation: attempts to discourage voting or intimidate voters, including calls for violence near polling stations.
  • Community-driven enforcement: users can report election-related posts through a "civic integrity" option to request a Community Note adding context. In urgent cases, X says it may apply labels to posts that violate its election rules.

The platform is betting on its crowdsourced Community Notes system — the user-written fact-checking layer that has become a signature feature of the Musk era — to supplement automated detection in the final stretch of the campaign.

A week after OpenAI's takedown

The X announcement comes just a week after OpenAI said it had shut down two alleged influence operations from Russia and Iran that used ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas and run a covert "think-tank" spreading anti-Ukraine propaganda. Taken together, the two announcements paint a picture of an active, multi-platform effort by foreign actors to influence American discourse — and a tech industry that is increasingly publishing its findings as a deterrent.

The pattern is consistent with what AI and cybersecurity researchers have documented this year. A recent Anthropic report exposed AI-assisted disinformation infrastructure, while US authorities have moved against Chinese hacking tools — a sign that the information-warfare front spans both covert influence campaigns and technical intrusion. Read our coverage of the FBI's seizure of Chinese hacker tools and Anthropic's report on AI-driven disinformation.

Why this matters

Midterm elections have historically drawn intense interest from foreign actors seeking to undermine confidence in American democratic institutions — often less by changing votes than by sowing doubt. With voters increasingly getting their news from feeds rather than front pages, the fight over who gets to define reality online has become one of the defining features of election season.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accounts did X suspend and why?

More than 13,000 accounts were suspended. X says they belonged to three suspected foreign influence operations linked to Iran, Russia and China that used fake accounts to post and amplify political content targeting US candidates and public figures ahead of the November 3 midterms.

What election safeguards did X announce?

X outlined rules against misleading information about how, when or where to vote, attempts to suppress turnout, and voter intimidation including calls for violence near polling stations. Users can report suspicious posts through a "civic integrity" option to request a Community Note, and X may label posts that violate its election rules in urgent cases.

Has X done this before?

Yes. In 2021, when the platform was still Twitter, it suspended 238 accounts it said were operating from Iran. The company has also acted against other suspected influence networks over the years.

How does this connect to the OpenAI announcement?

A week earlier, OpenAI said it shut down two alleged influence operations from Russia and Iran that used ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas and run a covert "think-tank" pushing anti-Ukraine propaganda — suggesting a broader, multi-platform foreign influence push ahead of the midterms.

When are the US midterm elections?

The midterm elections take place on November 3, 2026, with all 435 House seats, roughly a third of Senate seats, and numerous state and local races on the ballot.