Iran is influencing and funding anti-Israel protests in the United States as part of its attempt to fuel divisiveness in the country before the November elections, the White House said Tuesday, calling the campaign “unacceptable.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that while “The freedom to express diverse views when done peacefully is essential to our democracy,” Americans have to be warned so that they can “guard against efforts by foreign powers to take advantage of or coopt their legitimate protest activities.”

“The U.S. government has a duty to warn Americans about foreign malign influences,” she said, pointing an accusing finger at Iran.

The administration knows that the Islamic Republic is using covert means to “meddle in our internal affairs and attempt to amplify conflict,” she stated.

“Meddling in our politics and seeking to stoke division is unacceptable,” she added, in what she called “a firm message from here to Iran and any other foreign actor that seek to conduct these types of influence activities.”

The White House comments came after Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned that “We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters.”