Iranian hackers have targeted not only US water systems but also telecommunications, energy and other infrastructure in recent weeks, NBC News reported on Wednesday, citing four people with access to government and industry cyberthreat information.
The attempted cyberattacks focused on automated systems connected to the internet and have so far been unsuccessful, the report said.
A Telegram channel presenting itself as a voice for Iranian cyber operations also threatened attacks on US infrastructure.
“Soon, the United States will witness unexpected and critical events in the energy, water, and telecommunications industries,” the group, APT IRAN, said on Telegram, according to NBC News.
The channel provided no evidence of successful cyber operations against the United States.
The FBI said last month it was investigating cyberattacks on municipal water systems in at least seven states. NBC News previously reported those attacks were most likely carried out by Iranian hackers. They caused no major disruptions or water contamination.
US cybersecurity officials have also warned that Iranian hackers were trying to break into internet-connected industrial control systems and urged critical infrastructure operators to strengthen their defenses.
NBC News said the recent attempts were technically unsophisticated but could still pose risks because some infrastructure operators rely on basic internet-connected equipment.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency did not respond to NBC News' request for comment. The White House referred questions to the FBI, which did not respond, while the CIA declined to comment.
The program, codenamed C430L, began in 2023 and continued during this year's war with the United States and Israel, the FT said.
Its main focus is a ramjet propulsion system that would allow a cruise missile to sustain flight at several times the speed of sound, reducing the time available for US and allied defenses to detect and intercept it.
“For the Iranians, this would give them a qualitatively new strategic weapon system that could threaten US Navy vessels,” Jim Lamson, a former CIA military analyst focused on Iran, told the FT.
Iran has built and flight-tested the propulsion system, but there is no evidence that a Russian-assisted supersonic cruise missile has entered service, the newspaper said.
Russian technical support
The FT said Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport arranged the program with missile developer NPO Mashinostroyenia.
Russian engineers made repeated trips to Iran before a contract was signed with Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics in November 2023, according to records reviewed by the newspaper.
By 2025, Russian specialists were analyzing Iranian flight-test data and advising Tehran on the ramjet's fuel system, combustion stability, air intake and engine nozzle.
“This is the transfer of a highly strategically sensitive military technology from Russia that the Iranians have wanted to acquire for decades,” Fabian Hinz, a senior analyst with Conflict Armament Research, told the FT.
“A programme like this would require political clearance from the very top in Russia,” he said.
The Kremlin, Rosoboronexport, NPO Mashinostroyenia and the Iranian government did not respond to requests for comment from the FT.
Potential naval impact
Supersonic cruise missiles combine high speed with low-altitude flight, making them harder for air and missile defenses to detect and engage quickly.
That could be particularly significant in the Persian Gulf, where the United States and its regional allies operate advanced land- and sea-based defenses.
Hinz said Russian engineering support could be especially valuable because it would help Iran solve technical problems rather than simply provide finished weapons.
“Getting a 60-year-old engineer to fly over and problem-solve, using their experience, is hugely valuable,” he said.
The FT said the program continued into 2026, with Russia preparing technical reports and both sides discussing a further phase of development.
A June 2026 Rosoboronexport letter showed talks were still under way over that next stage, though it was unclear whether it had begun.
Deeper military ties
The program points to a deeper form of military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, with Russia helping Iran acquire the know-how to develop an advanced weapon system of its own.
Iran previously supplied Russia with Shahed attack drones used in Ukraine and helped Moscow establish domestic production.
The FT has also reported that Russia agreed to supply Iran with Verba shoulder-fired air defense systems, while Tehran acquired a high-resolution Chinese satellite later used to monitor US military facilities in the region.
“If the Russians are able to help the Iranians fix their technical problems, I think this would be one of the more impactful areas of Russian military-technical assistance to Iran in recent years,” Lamson said.
Around 20,400 people participated in the online poll, with 44% saying they would not invest in property in Iran even if they could afford to do so. Only around half said they would buy a home.
Of those who participated, 67% were men and 33% women.
People aged 25 to 34 made up the largest group of respondents at 36.6%, followed by those aged 35 to 44 at 30.1%. People aged 45 to 54 accounted for 12.8%, while those aged 18 to 24 made up 11.4%.
Participants also left around 2,000 comments explaining their choices, offering a broader picture of the considerations shaping their decisions.
The responses centered on attachment to Iran, hopes for political change, plans to emigrate, economic hardship and concerns over the security of their savings.
‘If I had enough money, I wouldn't be in Iran’
For many of those opposed to buying a home, having enough money would provide an opportunity to leave Iran rather than invest more heavily in the country.
“If I had enough money, I wouldn't be in Iran at all,” one respondent wrote.
“Having enough money in this situation means having the best life abroad,” another wrote.
The responses mirror the findings of an earlier Iran International Instagram poll in which 83% of participants said they would leave Iran if given the opportunity.
Around 100,000 people participated in that poll over 24 hours. Thousands of comments cited economic problems, social restrictions, political conditions and uncertainty over the future among the reasons for wanting to emigrate.
Some participants in the latest poll associated remaining in Iran with insecurity, sanctions, inflation, power outages and difficulties meeting basic needs, saying they would rather put their money into a more stable country.
One described owning a home as inseparable from the wider conditions in which a person lives.
“A home needs a blue sky above it, a thriving tree with bright green leaves in its yard, air without lead coming through its windows, a meal in its kitchen that doesn't come with guilt or selling your dignity, and peace of mind because you feel safe,” the respondent wrote.
“Home is where I can look at the stars at night without waking up the next morning choked with sadness and humiliation.”
Gold and currency offer a way out
Others focused on the financial risks of property ownership.
Unlike in previous years, when buying a home was widely viewed as a relatively secure investment for the future, some said they would now prefer to keep their wealth in gold or foreign currency because those assets are more liquid and easier to take out of the country.
“Investing in a bankrupt economy is certainly a mistake because prices are unrealistic, artificial and like a hollow bubble,” one respondent wrote.
Housing has for years served as a means of preserving wealth in Iran's chronically inflationary economy, and property can provide protection against inflation over the longer term.
But international reporting has also documented a move toward assets that can be carried and quickly converted into cash during periods of uncertainty.
The Associated Press described the trend as a turn toward “portable wealth” during the 12-day war, while the World Gold Council recorded a sharp increase in investment demand for gold in Iran in 2025.
The poll comes as Iranians continue to contend with high inflation. Iran's Statistical Center put year-on-year inflation in July at nearly 88%.
‘I wouldn't trade Iran for anywhere’
For respondents who said they would buy a home, attachment to Iran and a sense of national identity emerged as leading reasons.
Some described owning a home as more than a financial investment, linking it to family, personal history and their connection to the country.
“Yes, I wouldn't trade Iran for anywhere in the world,” one wrote.
“Iran is our mother; you don't abandon your mother when times are difficult,” another wrote.
Others said the country's problems would not persuade them to build a life elsewhere.
“Iran is my first and last choice. I believe good days are ahead of us,” one participant wrote.
Some would buy only after political change
A number of respondents made their willingness to buy a home conditional on political change, greater freedoms or improvements in the country's circumstances.
“When Iran is free, 100%,” one wrote. “After Iran is free, yes, but not under these conditions,” another wrote.
Others questioned the premise of the poll itself, saying the prospect of having enough money to purchase a home was increasingly detached from the economic reality facing many people.
They pointed to difficulties paying for food, rent, medical treatment and other daily necessities, describing home ownership as an unattainable aspiration.
“We are renters, and we'll take the dream of buying a home to the grave,” one respondent wrote.
The findings follow another Iran International Instagram poll in which 90% of respondents said they did not want to marry or have children.
