Iran has begun an influence campaign designed to undermine the candidacy of former President Donald Trump, US officials said Monday, in retaliation for a 2020 bid that US intelligence agencies found with high confidence had been endorsed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The update comes from officials with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security who held a joint election security briefing 99 days ago Election Day. The briefing was the second in a series expected by the agency earlier in the day, and the official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive assessment.
“Since our last update, (the intelligence community) has observed that Tehran is working to influence the presidential election, possibly because Iran’s leadership wants to avoid an outcome that it feels will increase tensions with the United States,” said a senior ODNI official, adding, “Iran’s preference actually reflects its desire to avoid increasing tensions with the United States, and Iran against a candidate that Iran’s leadership believes will increase those tensions.
The official did not specifically mention the Trump campaign and only referred to the main findings of the 2020 assessment. He also stressed that most of Iran’s online activity, which he said relies on a “vast web” of internet personas, has focused on causing chaos and social division, including through . the war in Gaza.
Officials who briefed reporters on Monday declined to provide additional details on the extent to which Iran supports Gaza-related protests in the US, an effort revealed earlier this month in a statement by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.
In a statement, issued on July 9, Haines said the intelligence community has “observed actors connected to the Iranian government posing as online activists seeking to encourage protests and even provide financial support to protesters.”
“We cannot comment on the scale of the activity,” an ODNI official said Monday. “We can say that there is great concern because the effort to involve the US people directly in these activities or through other entities is a piece of cake.”
A different direction for Russia
Iran’s efforts to undermine Trump’s campaign appear now to be at cross-purposes with a simultaneous effort by Russia to influence the election in Trump’s favor, although the two countries have forged closer ties over the years. war in Ukraine. Biden administration officials revealed last year that Iran tried to help Russia build a drone factory on Russian soil in exchange for military equipment.
US officials have indicated that the Kremlin is working this election cycle to boost Trump’s candidacy, as it did in 2016 and 2020, although they did not immediately name the campaign.
“We have not observed a change in Russian preferences for the presidential race from the last election, due to the role the US is playing regarding Ukraine and its broader policy towards Russia,” an ODNI official said in a July 9 election security update. The 2020 assessment noted that Russian president Vladimir Putin authorized several operations aimed at discrediting the Biden campaign and supporting Trump, as well as deepening social divisions among Americans.
On Monday, a senior ODNI official said that Russia’s efforts “will not be allowed or permitted without the belief that they are consistent with Putin’s views.”
“As for Iran, some of Iran’s main influential actors operate under the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), which has a direct line to the Supreme Leader,” the official added.
China may be looking at a soccer race
While China has the ability to mount a similar influence campaign, US intelligence agencies now do not believe that Beijing will seek to interfere in the presidential race out of concern that it will damage the long-standing bilateral relationship. Officials are monitoring potential, however, actors with ties to China may be undermining the candidates’ votes, according to Monday’s update.
In general, foreign actors “closely monitor US political developments, especially the events that took place this month regarding the presidential election,” ODNI officials said, although the briefers declined to discuss whether or how they failed. trying to kill in Trump or Mr. Biden decision to cancel candidacy which has been factored into any active operation.
Officials also warned that Russia and China in particular have enlisted commercial marketing and public relations firms to “better hide their hands” in influence efforts.
“Basically, foreign countries calculate that Americans trust other Americans more compared to content with clear signs of foreign propaganda,” an ODNI official said. “Foreign actors continue to rely on ignorant and ignorant Americans to propagate, promote and add credibility to narratives that serve the interests of foreign actors.”
Officials declined to specify where the company currently operates or whether U.S. law enforcement agencies have opened an investigation into its employees or operations.
