Washingtn DC: Amid the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, questions over possible foreign interference in critical American infrastructure came into focus during a White House briefing on Friday, with US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin dismissing any indication of Iranian involvement in the nationwide flight shutdown.
Responding to a question from NewsMobile Editor-in-Chief Saurabh Shukla, Mullin said authorities had not found any evidence suggesting that Iranian elements or other actors were behind the disruption.
“Mr. Secretary, you are having a war against Iran, was there any input at all beyond this incident that there were Iranian elements or any other elements who may be…” Shukla asked.
“No, we’re not, we’re not, we’re not seeing that, we’re not seeing that at all,” Mullin responded.
My question at the .@WhiteHouse briefing right now was this a cyber attack,
Watch .@SecMullinDHS .@SecDuffy take
The questions on #FAA ground stop and flights grounded in the Us. @POTUS . @realDonaldTrump and his team closely monitoring the situation #US https://t.co/lv56YZKuOr— Saurabh Shukla सौरभ शुक्ल (@isaurabhshukla) November 14, 2026
The exchange came as US authorities investigated a major communications failure that forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to impose a nationwide ground stop, halting departures at airports across the country.
What happened in the US flight shutdown?
The FAA on Friday ordered a nationwide suspension of flight departures after communications problems affected air traffic control centers, triggering widespread disruption at airports.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the disruption began at around 3:36 p.m. Eastern Time, when instability in radar and communications systems affected air traffic control operations.
According to Duffy, switches and routers responsible for transmitting critical aviation data became overloaded, resulting in inconsistent information. The FAA subsequently halted departures as a precautionary measure to ensure flight safety.
The disruption left tens of thousands of passengers stranded and caused thousands of flight cancellations and delays across the country.
Duffy later announced that US airspace had reopened at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time (0115 GMT), but cautioned that airlines would require time to restore normal operations.
The transportation secretary said the immediate technical issue had been resolved, adding that aircraft already in the air had been able to land safely.
Cyberattack concerns investigated
The nationwide shutdown also raised questions about the possibility of a cyberattack or deliberate interference with critical US aviation infrastructure.
Mullin said there was no evidence at that stage pointing to a cyberattack, a rogue artificial intelligence system or any other malicious activity.
He described the incident as apparently mechanically driven but stressed that investigators were continuing to establish the root cause.
The National Security Agency was also assisting the Department of Homeland Security with the investigation.
Aging US aviation infrastructure under scrutiny
The incident has renewed concerns about the reliability of the US air traffic control network, which has faced persistent challenges involving aging equipment, communications failures and a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Duffy acknowledged that the existing infrastructure required a major overhaul and called on Congress to provide additional funding to modernize the system.
He sought $50 billion for upgrades, arguing that outdated technology had left critical aviation operations vulnerable to disruptions.
The nationwide ground stop was the most significant US aviation shutdown since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The previous nationwide disruption occurred in January 2023, when an FAA computer system failure halted domestic departures for approximately 90 minutes.
