U.S. intelligence officials have confidently attributed the hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to Iran, viewing it as part of a broader and audacious effort by Tehran to interfere in American politics and potentially influence the outcome of the election.
This marks the first official attribution of blame by the U.S. government for a series of cyber intrusions that have reignited concerns about foreign interference in U.S. elections. The assessment, issued by the FBI and other federal agencies, also suggests that Iran attempted to hack into the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris.
Federal officials indicated that these hacking activities are part of Iran’s broader strategy to sow discord, exploit divisions within American society, and possibly sway election results that Iran deems particularly significant for its national security interests.
In a joint statement, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency highlighted the increasing aggressiveness of Iranian influence operations and cyberattacks targeting U.S. presidential campaigns during this election cycle.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations has denied the allegations, dismissing them as “unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing,” and challenging the U.S. to provide evidence. The mission stated that Iran had neither the motive nor the intention to interfere in the election.
The timing of this accusation comes amidst heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, as the U.S. seeks to prevent or limit a potential retaliatory strike on Israel in response to the assassination of a Hamas official in Iran.
While U.S. officials did not elaborate on the methods used to identify Iran as the responsible party, they expressed confidence that Iranian agents sought access to individuals closely linked to both presidential campaigns. Although at least three staffers from the Biden-Harris campaign were targeted with phishing emails, there is no evidence that the attempts were successful, according to a recent report by The Associated Press.
The statement from U.S. officials emphasized that such activities, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process. It also pointed out that these tactics are not new, noting that both Iran and Russia have previously employed similar strategies in the United States and other countries.
This incident underscores the persistent threat posed by foreign interference in U.S. elections, which has remained a significant concern since Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Iran’s aggressive stance towards American elections has become increasingly apparent in recent years. In 2020, U.S. intelligence officials reported that Iran carried out an influence campaign aimed at damaging Trump’s reelection bid, a campaign likely approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Trump campaign revealed on August 10 that it had been hacked, with Iranian actors reportedly stealing and distributing sensitive internal documents. Confidential materials from inside the Trump campaign were leaked to at least three news outlets—Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post—though these outlets have so far refrained from disclosing specific details.
This U.S. government assessment aligns with the findings of private companies, including a recent Microsoft report on Iranian attempts to interfere in this year’s election. Microsoft documented Iranian agents impersonating activists and creating fake news targeted at voters across the political spectrum. Additionally, Google reported that an Iranian group linked to the Revolutionary Guard attempted to infiltrate the personal email accounts of individuals connected to both the Biden and Trump campaigns.
