Washington
The head of the U.S. intelligence community has accused Iran of stoking protests in the United States against the Gaza war, including by paying demonstrators.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines stressed that she was not arguing that Americans taking to the streets against Israel and U.S. policies were being disloyal or subservient to Iran, but said Tehran was stepping up its efforts.
“In recent weeks, Iranian government actors have sought to exploit ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza, employing tactics long used by others,” Haines said in a statement.
“We have observed individuals with ties to the Iranian government posing as activists online and encouraging and funding protests,” she said.
“The freedom to express diverse views, as long as it is done peacefully, is essential to our democracy, but it is also important to warn foreign powers that seek to exploit our debate for their own ends,” she said.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said it was important to warn Americans to “be vigilant against attempts by foreign forces to exploit or hijack legitimate protests.”
Iranian state media has highlighted pro-Palestinian protests that have spread to US university campuses, and criticised the US for cracking down on some of the demonstrations as hypocritical.
Demonstrations against Israel’s attacks on Gaza have erupted on college campuses across the country in recent months.
The United States has repeatedly condemned so-called disinformation campaigns by China and especially Russia, which is accused of meddling in the 2016 election on behalf of Donald Trump, including through false social media posts.
