After repeated warnings that Iran was targeting U.S. officials, including from Attorney General Merrick Garland, the FBI confirmed that Iran was the mastermind behind a cyberattack against both Donald Trump’s and Kamala Harris’ presidential campaigns.
In a Tuesday report from The Hill, the FBI, alongside other intelligence agencies, announced Monday it concluded Iran was behind the hacking of the Trump campaign and that the country has attempted to disrupt both presidential campaigns.
“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. This includes the recently reported activities to compromise former President Trump’s campaign, which the [intelligence community] attributes to Iran,” the FBI said in a statement alongside the office of the director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The statement goes on to say the country has “sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaigns of both political parties.”
“Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process,” they wrote.
While the Trump campaign said earlier this month that it had been hacked by Iran, the intelligence community had not yet offered any insight into who may have carried out the hack.
The intelligence community has repeatedly pointed to Iranian efforts to influence the election, noting that both Iran and China are increasingly mirroring Russian efforts to push disinformation and sow discord among Americans ahead of the election.
“Iran perceives this year’s elections to be particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests, increasing Tehran’s inclination to try to shape the outcome,” the agencies said in a statement.
Earlier this summer, multiple media outlets reported that Iran was behind a plot to try and assassinate former President Trump.
“We believe that the Iranians are attempting to kill or injure former high ranking government officials,” said Garland in an extensive interview with NBC.
Iran has denied a role in both the hacking and the assassination plans.
“Such allegations are unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing,” a spokesman for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations said in a statement Monday.
While the intelligence community statement condemns Iran’s actions, it does not make clear whether the U.S. plans to retaliate.
“We will not tolerate foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections, including the targeting of American political campaigns,” the agencies said.