US says Iran tried to hack Trump, Biden-Harris campaigns

WASHINGTON

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), alongside other intelligence agencies, announced Monday that Iran was responsible for attempted hacks into the Trump and Biden-Harris 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," the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) wrote in a joint statement.

This includes recently reported activities to compromise former US President Donald Trump’s campaign, which the intelligence community attributes to Iran, the statement added.

The Iranians have through social engineering and other efforts sought access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both the Democratic and Republican parties, it said, adding: "Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process."

Claiming that Iran and Russia have employed these tactics not only in the US during this and prior federal election cycles but also in other countries around the world, the agencies said protecting the integrity of US elections from foreign influence or interference is "our priority."

"We will not tolerate foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections, including the targeting of American political campaigns," the agencies wrote.

The Iranian government has denied any involvement in the alleged cyberattacks.