Iranian hackers have been accused of sending emails containing stolen material from former President Donald Trump’s campaign to individuals involved in President Joe Biden’s re-election bid, U.S. agencies revealed on Wednesday. The emails, sent over the summer, are believed to be part of Iran’s broader attempt to influence the upcoming U.S. election.
A joint statement from the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) highlighted that these malicious cyber actors had been active since June. They allegedly continued sending stolen, non-public material related to Trump’s campaign to U.S. media outlets in an attempt to create political unrest.
Iran’s Alleged Interference in U.S. Politics
The agencies emphasized the severity of the situation, calling it part of Iran’s “multi-pronged approach” to undermine trust in the U.S. electoral process. This is the latest chapter in the alleged cyber operations launched by Tehran, which has previously been accused of meddling in U.S. elections by targeting both presidential campaigns and trying to incite political discord.
However, the joint statement confirmed that there is no current evidence to suggest that the recipients of these emails responded or took action based on the stolen material. The agencies have not released further details regarding the nature of the stolen information.
Iran Denies Allegations
In response, Iran has consistently denied any involvement in U.S. affairs. The Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York dismissed the allegations as “fundamentally unfounded and wholly inadmissible,” reaffirming that the country has no intention or motivation to interfere in U.S. elections.
This comes after a previous accusation in August, when the U.S. accused Iran of launching cyber attacks against both major U.S. presidential campaigns, with the aim of creating division among voters.
Biden and Trump Campaigns React
The incident occurred just before President Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race in July, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate. Polls show a tight race between Harris and former President Trump.
Following the revelations, the Trump campaign released a statement urging Harris and Biden to disclose whether they had used the hacked material to harm Trump’s campaign. The former president himself called the alleged hacking a case of foreign election interference, accusing Iran of aiding the Democrats in a rally held on Wednesday night.
In response, a spokesperson from Harris’ campaign stated that they were unaware of any material being sent directly to the campaign. They did, however, acknowledge that a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails by what appeared to be phishing attempts.
Longstanding U.S.-Iran Tensions
Iran’s accusations of U.S. interference in its domestic affairs date back decades. Tehran has pointed to historical incidents such as the 1953 coup, which overthrew Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, as well as the 2020 assassination of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by the U.S., as examples of Washington meddling in its internal politics.
The ongoing cyber activity attributed to Iran underscores the complex and strained relations between the two nations as the 2024 U.S. election approaches.
