Iran-backed hackers sent Trump-related data to Democrats — US spy agencies

With only a few weeks left before Americans vote in elections, US intelligence agencies say they have found evidence Iran is trying to influence the result by feeding anti-Trump propaganda to the Democrats.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI and CISA issued a joint statement on Wednesday blaming Iranian cyber actors for sending “unsolicited emails” to individuals then associated with President Joe Biden’s election campaign in late June and early July.

The emails contained “stolen, non-public material" from former President Trump’s campaign, it said.

“There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied.”

The joint statement also noted the Iranian actors sent stolen information to various US media outlets, seeking broader distribution.

Iran has denied interfering in US affairs. On Wednesday its permanent mission to the United Nations in New York said the latest allegations were “fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible.”

In response, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday Iran wants to help Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee, "because they know President Trump will restore his tough sanctions and stand against their reign of terror”.

Harris campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein also commented saying the campaign has cooperated with law enforcement since it learned about the hacking effort.

"We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like a spam or phishing attempt," Finkelstein said in a statement.

Iran's interference

US intelligence agencies have been actively tracking Iranian cyber activities, investigating those responsible and contacting affected individuals.

US spy agencies suggest it is part of a larger Iranian strategy to sow discord and undermine confidence in the US electoral system.

With the November elections approaching, the statement said the US faces increasing interference attempts from foreign actors — including Russia and China.

In early August, the Trump campaign acknowledged that its communications had been hacked and the source claimed to have access to legal documents and internal discussions.

Trump's team speculated that Iran could be involved, though no independent verification has been made.

The reported hack came amid increasing tensions with Iran, as US intelligence reports suggest potential plots against a politician or US government official in retaliation for the assassination of Iranian top general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.

Iran-US rivalry

Tehran and Washington have been at odds since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which brought about a regime change, followed by a series of deadly incidents between the two nations.

US tensions with Iran peaked during Donald Trump's era when he claimed office in early 2017.

Trump scrapped a nuclear deal with Iran that had been agreed upon during his predecessor Barack Obama’s administration and launched a “maximum pressure” campaign, targeting almost all Iranian sectors with sanctions.

He also cut Iran off from the global financial system, SWIFT, and threatened sanctions on countries, individuals or entities conducting business with Tehran.

The hacking of Trump’s campaign has echoes of the 2016 Democratic Party breach, which was attributed to Russia and resulted in damaging leaks ahead of the election.

However, investigations into Trump’s potential ties to the 2016 hack did not lead to criminal charges.