Iran has been accused by the United States intelligence agencies on Monday of masterminding a cyberattack on former President Donald Trump’s campaign and attempting to gain access into the Biden-Harris campaign.
Days after Mr Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone said his hotmail and gmail accounts were compromised and hackers impersonated him and gained access to the emails of campaign aides came the highly anticipated findings.
“Iran seeks to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions,” intelligence officials wrote in a joint statement from the F.B.I., the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
According to the New York Times, the latest report by the American intelligence agencies is the major indicator so far that foreign intelligence agencies are actively working to interfere in the November 2024 presidential election.
The buildup to the election has been marred by polarised political tensions between right wing and left wing, the escalating violence in the Middle East and America’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza.
“It is important to note that this approach is not new,” the U.S. intelligence agencies wrote. “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.”
Iran’s mission in response to the accusations, by the United Nations said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran harbours neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.”
“Should the U.S. government genuinely believe in the validity of its claims, it should furnish us with the pertinent evidence — if any — to which we will respond accordingly.”
