WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials stated on Monday that they are confident Iran is responsible for cyber intrusions targeting U.S. presidential campaigns, describing the attacks as part of a broader effort by Tehran to influence American politics and potentially sway the outcome of the election.
The attribution of blame for these hacks marks the first time the U.S. government has officially linked Iran to such cyber intrusions, which have once again raised concerns about foreign interference in elections. This incident also underscores how Iran, alongside more sophisticated adversaries like Russia and China, remains a key concern for U.S. officials tasked with safeguarding democratic processes.
In addition to breaching the Trump campaign’s systems, officials believe Iran also attempted to infiltrate the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris.
Federal officials believe these hacking activities and similar efforts reflect Iran’s determination to “complicate the ability of any U.S. administration to pursue a foreign policy at odds” with its own interests. The aim of these actions is to sow discord, undermine faith in democratic institutions, and influence the outcome of elections that Iran perceives as “particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests,” officials explained.
“We have observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle, specifically involving influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting Presidential campaigns,” stated a joint statement issued by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied involvement in the hacks, asserting that Iran had neither the motive nor intention to interfere with the election, and challenged the U.S. to provide evidence.
The statement was issued at a time of significant tensions between Washington and Tehran as the U.S. seeks to halt or limit a potential retaliatory strike on Israel by Iran in response to the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh. An Israeli strike in southern Beirut last month killed Hezbollah’s top commander, and while Tehran and Iran-backed Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate, they have not yet carried out strikes as diplomatic efforts and Gaza cease-fire talks continue in Qatar.
The U.S. did not disclose the methods used to reach the conclusion that Iran was responsible, nor did it provide details about the nature of any information potentially taken from the Trump campaign. However, it stated that the intelligence community is confident “the Iranians have through social engineering and other efforts sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaigns of both political parties.”
The Associated Press reported last week that at least three staffers in the Biden-Harris campaign were targeted with phishing emails, but investigators have found no evidence that these attempts were successful.
“Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process. It is important to note that this approach is not new. Iran and Russia have employed these tactics not only in the United States during this and prior federal election cycles but also in other countries around the world,” the statement stated.
The Trump campaign announced on Aug. 10 that it had been hacked and alleged that Iranian actors had stolen and disseminated sensitive internal documents. At least three news outlets—Politico, the New York Times, and the Washington Post—received leaked confidential material from within the Trump campaign, including its report vetting J.D. Vance as a vice presidential candidate. So far, each outlet has declined to disclose any details about the information they received.
Earlier this month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a report outlining foreign agents’ attempts to interfere in this year’s election, citing an instance in June where an Iranian military intelligence unit sent “a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign from a compromised email account of a former senior advisor.”
In a separate report, the FBI revealed that an Iranian group linked to the country’s Revolutionary Guard has attempted to infiltrate the personal email accounts of approximately a dozen individuals associated with President Joe Biden and Trump since May.
—Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.