Iranian hackers have reportedly sent emails containing stolen material from the campaign of former Republican President Donald Trump to individuals connected with Democratic President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, U.S. agencies revealed on Wednesday. This activity is said to be part of a broader effort by Tehran to influence the U.S. electoral process.
In a joint statement, the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) confirmed that “Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.”
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The agencies characterized this as another example of Iran’s strategy to “stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process.” They added that there is no current evidence suggesting that the recipients responded to the emails. No further details were provided regarding the nature of the stolen materials.
Broader Iranian Cyber Activities
This development follows accusations from the U.S. in August, which alleged that Iran had launched cyber operations targeting both U.S. presidential campaigns while also conducting influence campaigns aimed at exacerbating political tensions within the country. Tehran has consistently denied such allegations.
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York responded to the latest accusations, calling them “fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible,” and reiterated that Iran has “neither any motive nor intent to interfere in the U.S. election.”
Emails Containing Stolen Trump Campaign Material
According to the U.S. agencies, unsolicited emails containing excerpts from stolen Trump campaign materials were sent to individuals involved in Biden’s campaign in late June and early July. However, Biden dropped out of the presidential race on July 21, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate. Polls suggest a closely contested race between Harris and Trump.
In response, the Trump campaign called for Harris and Biden to disclose whether they had used the hacked materials “to hurt” Trump. At a rally on Wednesday night, Trump accused Iran of hacking into his campaign in an effort to help the Democrats, calling it foreign election interference.
A spokesperson for Harris’s campaign denied any direct communication, stating, “We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign,” and noted that a few individuals had been targeted with what appeared to be phishing attempts on their personal emails.
Iran’s Claims of U.S. Interference
Tehran has pointed to historical incidents of U.S. interference in Iranian affairs, including the 1953 coup that ousted Iran’s prime minister and the 2020 assassination of military commander Qassem Soleimani, as part of its broader criticism of Washington’s policies.
Key Points:
- U.S. agencies revealed that Iranian hackers sent stolen material from former President Donald Trump’s campaign to individuals associated with President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, as part of a broader effort by Iran to influence the U.S. election.
- Iranian hackers allegedly began targeting Biden’s campaign in late June, sending non-public information related to Trump’s campaign to U.S. media outlets and individuals.
- U.S. agencies described this cyber activity as part of Iran’s multi-pronged effort to “stoke discord and undermine confidence in the electoral process.”
- No evidence has emerged indicating that recipients of the emails responded or used the stolen material.
- Iran denied the allegations, calling them “fundamentally unfounded” and claiming no intent or motive to interfere in the U.S. election.
- Trump accused Iran of hacking his campaign to assist Democrats, while his campaign called on Harris and Biden to clarify if they used the hacked material.
- Harris’s campaign denied any direct contact with the hackers, suggesting the emails appeared as phishing attempts on individuals’ personal accounts.
- The accusations follow previous U.S. claims that Iran had launched cyber operations targeting both U.S. presidential campaigns.
