Iran�s powerful Revolutionary Guard military force hacked email and social-media accounts of Obama administration officials in recent weeks in attacks believed to be tied to the arrest in Tehran of an Iranian-American businessman, U.S. officials said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has routinely conducted cyberwarfare against American government agencies for years. But the U.S. officials said there has been a surge in such attacks coinciding with the arrest last month of Siamak Namazi, an energy industry executive and business consultant who has pushed for stronger U.S.-Iranian economic and diplomatic ties.

Obama administration personnel are among a larger group of people who have had their computer systems hacked in recent weeks, including journalists and academics, the officials said. Those attacked in the administration included officials working at the State Department�s Office of Iranian Affairs and its Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

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This article was written by Jay Solomon for The Wall Street Journal on Nov. 4, 2015. Jay Solomon writes about foreign affairs and national security from The Wall Street Journal's Washington DC bureau. His coverage areas include international diplomacy, nuclear weapons proliferation, counter-terrorism and Middle East and Asian affairs.�