Iran to blame for hacking of Donald Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns, US intelligence officials say

WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials said Monday they believe Iran was behind the hacking of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign account, a move that was portrayed as part of a brazen and broader effort by Tehran to interfere in American politics and potentially influence the election.

The assessment by the FBI and other federal agencies was the first time the U.S. government has assigned blame for the hacks, which have reignited the threat of foreign interference in the election. The hack also underscored that Iran, along with more sophisticated adversaries such as Russia and China, remains a top concern for U.S. officials tasked with protecting democratic processes.

In addition to hacking the Trump campaign, officials also believe Iran tried to hack into Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

The hacking and similar activities, federal officials say, reflect Iran’s determination to “complicate the ability of any U.S. administration to pursue foreign policies that conflict” with its own interests. The goal is to sow discord, undermine trust in democratic institutions and influence the outcomes of elections that Iran sees as “particularly significant in terms of the impact they could have on national security interests,” the officials said.

“We have seen increasingly aggressive Iranian activity throughout the election cycle, particularly including influence operations targeting U.S. public opinion and cyber operations targeting presidential campaigns,” said a statement released by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Iran’s mission to the UN denied the reports of hacking, saying it had neither motive nor intent to interfere in the elections, and called on the US to provide evidence.

The statement comes at a time of considerable tension between Washington and Tehran, as the U.S. hopes to deter or limit the threat of a retaliatory attack on Israel for the killing of Hamas activist Ismael Haniyeh. An Israeli strike last month in southern Beirut killed Hezbollah’s top commander, but while Tehran and Iranian-backed Hezbollah have promised retaliation, they have not yet launched attacks as diplomatic efforts and ceasefire talks in Gaza continue in Qatar.

The United States did not provide details on how it concluded Iran was responsible or describe the nature of the information that may have been gleaned from the Trump campaign. But it said the intelligence community believes “the Iranians, through social engineering and other means, sought access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both political parties.”

At least three Biden-Harris campaign staffers fell victim to phishing emails, the Associated Press reported last week, but investigators found no evidence the attempt was successful.

“These activities, including theft and disclosure, are designed to influence the U.S. electoral process. It is important to note that this approach is not new. Iran and Russia have used these tactics not only in the United States during this and previous federal election cycles, but also in other countries around the world,” the statement read.

The Trump campaign disclosed on Aug. 10 that it had been hacked and said Iranian actors had stolen and distributed confidential internal documents. At least three media outlets — Politico, The New York Times and The Washington Post — have obtained confidential materials from the Trump campaign, including a report vetting J.D. Vance as vice presidential candidate. Each has so far declined to disclose any details about what they received.

Earlier this month, Microsoft released a report detailing attempts by foreign agents to interfere in this year’s election, citing the case of an Iranian military intelligence unit that in June sent a “spear-phishing email to a high-ranking presidential campaign official from the compromised email account of a former senior adviser.”

In a separate report, Google said an Iranian group linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had tried since May to infiltrate the private email accounts of about a dozen people associated with President Joe Biden and Trump.