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Iran is doing more than ever to influence American voters in the run-up to the November presidential and congressional elections, a senior US intelligence official said on Friday, in the latest warning about potential foreign influence in US politics.
In recent months, US officials, cybersecurity experts, and global tech corporations like Microsoft and Meta have reported Iranian-linked attempts to hack American individuals and organizations with the specific aim to “stoke discord and erode trust” in the US institutions.
On Friday, a senior US intelligence official once again mentioned Iran along with Russia and China as actors attempting to sway the November 2024 presidential election, saying that Tehran has stepped up its involvement compared to previous years.
US intelligence agencies have issued warnings to those targeted by foreign influence campaigns, the American official said.
"Pro-Iran" websites
In a report released on Friday, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) named 19 websites as part of a "pro-Iran" network aimed at destabilizing the US political system. The report did not explicitly link the sites to the Iranian government but urged US authorities to shut down the sites with the cooperation of allied countries where the websites may be hosted.
The FDD also recommended further investigations to identify Iranian actors behind the influence campaign, proposing sanctions or legal action as necessary.
Among the websites flagged by the FDD, two are highlighted for their audience reach: Afro Majority and Not Our War. The former, FDD says, targets African American communities, with content hostile to former President Donald Trump and supportive of Vice President Kamala Harris. The latter has focused on US veterans, criticizing both Trump and current President Joe Biden, promoting a narrative that undermines trust in the US, according to FDD.
Examples include a post on Not Our War headlined "The Bitter Choice: Biden vs. Trump and the Illusion of Democracy in the US" and a post on Afro Majority praising Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for his backing of anti-Israel protests.
The scope of Iran's activities extends beyond disinformation. In yet another recent report, Microsoft and Google warned about attempts to breach U.S. presidential campaigns in the lead-up to the November election.
Last month, Meta (formerly Facebood) said it had thwarted attempts by Iranian hackers to compromise the WhatsApp accounts of US officials connected to Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The hackers allegedly posed as technical support representatives from companies like Google and Microsoft to gain unauthorized access. Meta said it had quickly intervened, blocking the accounts before any significant breaches occurred.
Some experts have warned that foreign actors, including Iran, Russia, and China, are increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to influence American voters, even inciting violence against political figures to create chaos and undermine the integrity of the upcoming elections.
