Social media giants Facebook and Twitter said on Tuesday that they have either suspended or removed hundreds of accounts linked to Iran or Russia that were misleading, and displayed inauthentic or “manipulating behaviour”.

“We’ve removed 652 pages, groups and accounts for coordinated inauthentic behaviour that originated in Iran and targeted people across multiple internet services in the Middle East, Latin America, United Kingdom and United States,” Facebook said. “Some of this activity originated in Iran, and some originated in Russia. We ban this kind of behaviour because we want people to be able to trust the connections they make on Facebook.”

The social media network said that people indulging in such malpractices are “determined and well-funded”. “There is always a tension between taking down these bad actors quickly and improving our defenses over the long term,” Facebook said. “If we remove them too early, it’s harder to understand their playbook and the extent of their network. It also limits our ability to coordinate with law enforcement.”

Twitter said its analysis of numerous accounts pointed towards “coordinated manipulation”, BBC reported. Subsequently, Twitter has blocked 284 accounts with alleged links to Iran. The social media firms acted on a tip from cyber security firm FireEye, which had informed them that there were a number of accounts promoting Iranian propaganda online.

These developments came just hours after Microsoft said it had thwarted attempts by alleged Russian hackers to target conservative political think-tanks in the United States months ahead of the mid-term polls. Elections to the US House of Representatives and the Senate are scheduled for November 6.