Iran denies US Intelligence report on Trump campaign hack
Iran has denied a US intelligence report released on Monday that confirmed Iranian state actors were responsible for the recent cyberattack on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Iran has denied a US intelligence report released on Monday that confirmed Iranian state actors were responsible for the recent cyberattack on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations referred to the report as "unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing" in a statement later on Monday.
The statement noted that "the Islamic Republic of Iran harbors neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the US presidential election" and called on the US government to provide “any evidence supporting its claims,” assuring that Iran would "respond accordingly" if such evidence were presented.
In a joint statement on Monday, the FBI, alongside the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, noted an escalation in Iranian efforts to interfere with the ongoing election cycle.
The statement specifically highlighted "influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting Presidential campaigns," with the recent compromise of former President Trump’s campaign attributed to Iran by the intelligence community.
Additionally, the statement underscored that Iran has "sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaigns of both political parties."
Earlier this month, the Trump campaign said that it had been targeted by a cyberattack attributed to Iran. However, at that time, the intelligence community had not provided any official attribution regarding the perpetrators of the breach.
According to a report by The Washington Post, one of the hacking targets identified was Susie Wiles, a top adviser and one of the most senior officials in former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Also, earlier this summer, reports emerged that Iran had devised a scheme to assassinate Trump. Tehran, however, has denied any involvement in the alleged assassination plot.
Last week, Kamala Harris’s campaign revealed that the FBI had alerted them to an attempted cyber intrusion by foreign hackers.
“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.
This development comes amid growing reports of Iran's escalating efforts to disrupt the US presidential election, where the race between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican incumbent Donald Trump is becoming increasingly competitive as the pivotal November 5th election approaches.
OpenAI announced on Friday that it had deactivated multiple accounts connected to an Iranian group allegedly exploiting its ChatGPT chatbot to generate content to influence the US presidential election and other significant issues. The Microsoft-backed AI company revealed that the content produced by these accounts included commentary on both sides of the US elections and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
On Friday, Axios reported that Iran, rather than Russia, is emerging as the most significant nation-state threat to the upcoming US presidential election in November.
Earlier in August, a Microsoft threat intelligence report also identified an Iranian group as a key player in orchestrating influence campaigns aimed at swaying US voters, particularly in crucial swing states. These operations extended to intelligence-gathering on political campaigns, potentially setting the stage for future interference.
The report also revealed that the group in question established covert news sites targeting both left-leaning and conservative US voters, employing AI to plagiarize content and disseminate polarizing political narratives.
Iran continues to vow revenge against Israel for the assassination of the Hamas political chief in Tehran on July 31 and has even said a ceasefire in Gaza is 'unrelated' to its retaliation plans, despite previously stating that a ceasefire would halt their attack.
Ali Fadavi, the Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Monday there is an "uproar" in Israel amid fears of an imminent Iranian attack. He said they are "waiting day and night for Iran's response", and that is "harder than waiting for one's death."
On Tuesday, Ali-Mohammad Naini, the spokesperson for the IRGC, said there could be a long wait for retaliation against Israel, according to state media.
Jason Brodsky, the policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), attributes Naini's statement to his role as one of the IRGC's top "experts" in psychological warfare.
The chance of war has been stowed deep into the cervices of both Israeli and Iranian psyches, with the only difference being that Iranians have become 'desensitized' to Iran's psychological games, according to psychotherapist Azadeh Afsahi.
Afsahi, who was born in Iran and now lives in the West treating patients, said Iran has been using phycological war as a tactic for 45 years on Iranian people.
The strategy is to make people feel anxious and unsure of what will happen next, keeping someone in state of hopelessness, fear and a feeling of sickness, she said. The Islamic Republic is intentionally not consistent with their actions, so that they leave people in a constant fearful state of the unknown, she said. Now Tehran is likely trying to keep Israelis in a state of anticipation and apprehension.
"We've been dealing with this psychological warfare of not knowing, and we have surrendered our mind to the Islamic Republic with this game that they play. And this is exactly what they do. They are occupying you with something so they can strike somewhere else," said Afsahi.
"Psychological games are the worst game you can play with people."
Israeli resident Meital Brown told Iran International that the mood is stressful and that she feels like she's "stuck in a bad feeling that's not ending."
The mother of three young kids said she started feeling this way when Iran vowed to strike Israel after the Haniyeh strike. For about a week she and her family didn't leave the house and even postponed seeing family in Tel Aviv out of fear of the so-called imminent attack.
She and her family finally made the trip to Tel Aviv from their home near the border with Gaza, when a car bomb exploded Sunday night. Hamas claimed responsibility for the bombing that shook the city as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived to promote a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal.
"I am feeling so stressful. When the kids are at summer camps for summer holidays, I wonder..maybe they will attack there and I'm not with the kids?," said Brown.
Israeli resident Dror Trabelsi isn't letting the threats from the Iranian regime bring down his spirits, and he continues to solder on, motivated to do something positive after October 7.
"It's really the same morning over and over again since October 7th."
Since the atrocities of October 7 where around 1, 200 people, mostly civilians were killed by Hamas, Dror and his brothers Kobi and Eliran created an oasis for IDF soldiers exiting Gaza. The post, known as the 'Shuva brothers' is equipped with showers, coffee, hot meals and other supplies like clean clothes - all free for the soldiers.
Trabelsi said he avoids watching the news and finds the constant talk analyzing when and how Iran may attack Israel only fuels negativity and plays into their psychological games.
"This whole Iran thing is only in the news. It's not a real thing."
He said Israelis are strong and is disappointed to see so many leaving to the West out of fear of a possible war.
"It's literally a psychological game, which by the way, they [Iran] win. If one person is leaving Israel, they win."
The union's support signals an intensification of the widespread labor discontent within the country.
In a statement issued Monday, the truck drivers declared their solidarity with the nurses' struggle, warning that if the demands of the medical staff are not addressed, they too will engage in strikes and protests.
"We warn that if the just demands of the nurses are not met, we, the truck drivers and drivers nationwide, will strike and protest in their support," the union's statement reads.
The wave of protests by nursing groups and medical staff has continued unabated this month, with demonstrations and strikes reported in cities including Mashhad, Ahvaz, and Isfahan. In Mashhad, nurses rallied, while their counterparts in other cities extended the nationwide strike. Videos obtained by Iran International reveal that nurses at the Kashani Educational-Treatment Center in Isfahan joined the growing movement, chanting slogans such as "Nurse, shout out, demand your rights."
Average monthly salaries for nurses is around $220, close to the government-set minimum wage, while they often work long hours without receiving overtime pay.
Meanwhile, in Ahvaz, nurses gathered in front of the Khuzestan Governorate, voicing their frustrations with slogans like "We have seen no results/ Only heard promises" and "We fought COVID, saw no support."
On August 17 and 18, the unrest spread further, with nursing groups and medical staff in Arak, Jahrom, Qazvin, Mashhad, and Yasuj staging protests to highlight their ongoing issues. The protesters have expressed a range of grievances, including inadequate overtime rates, unrealistic tariffs. Their demands also call for the implementation of laws regarding hard and harmful jobs and an end to compulsory overtime.
Mohammad Reza Sharifi-Moghaddam, Secretary-General of the Nursing House says “For the first time in the 100-year history of modern nursing in the country, we are witnessing protests in the form of work stoppages. When nurses stop working, we become very concerned. Unfortunately, the authorities are not paying any attention, have not received the message, and do not understand the situation.”
The current wave of strikes follows the death of Parvaneh Mandani, a 32-year-old nurse who died on August 2 due to excessive workload, a condition known as "Karoshi Syndrome" in medicine. Her death has further galvanized nurses across the country, leading to an expansion of the strikes.
A student coalition has urged the entire community, particularly medical students, to support the nurses' cause. This broadening of support underscores the deepening crisis within Iran's healthcare system, which has seen repeated protests over the past months.
Fereydoun Moradi, a member of the Supreme Nursing Council, revealed that between 150 to 200 nurses emigrate each month due to the untenable work conditions and inadequate compensation. The dissatisfaction among medical staff has been compounded by frequent attacks and a lack of supportive measures.
In a note, he accused Rouhani's administration of rushing to close the case surrounding Rafsanjani's death.
Hashemi's criticism came after the resignation of former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif from Masoud Pezeshkian’s Strategic Council for Transition.
On August 11, Zarif posted on Instagram, expressing his dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in the ministerial selection committees and his inability to make a difference in this regard. He wrote, "I am ashamed... These shortcomings have set the course for me to continue at the university."
Addressing his note to Zarif, Hashemi did not shy away from drawing parallels between the treatment of his father by Rouhani’s inner circle and the actions of Masoud Pezeshkian’s allies.
According to him, Rafsanjani, who played a crucial role in supporting Rouhani during the 2013 presidential election, was met with disrespect by Rouhani’s close associates after the election.
Hashemi singled out Hossein Fereydoun, Rouhani's brother, as well as Mahmoud Vaezi the chief of staff of Rouhani and Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the Head of Plan and Budget Organization, for their behavior towards his father, noting that even Rouhani himself had shown "unkindness" and "ingratitude" towards Rafsanjani.
On January 8, 2017, it was announced that Rafsanjani had suddenly died after swimming at the Koushk pool, a facility belonging to the Expediency Discernment Council he chaired. Officially, his death was attributed to a "heart attack," but suspicions quickly arose, fueled by Rafsanjani’s complex political legacy.
Yasser Hashemi suggested that the intelligence ministry under Rouhani, along with other security agencies, was more concerned with swiftly closing the case than with providing a thorough and transparent investigation.
“The intelligence ministry of the eleventh government, instead of convincing Iranians and the world, alongside other intelligence and security agencies in the country, hurried to close that perpetually open case,” he added.
Rafsanjani's family has consistently voiced concerns that he may have been murdered, citing several suspicious factors. These include delays in transporting him to the hospital, the lack of access to CCTV footage from both the swimming pool and his office, the absence of a post-mortem examination despite their requests, a hurried burial, and the disappearance of highly confidential documents, such as his diaries and last will and testament, from his office safe shortly after his death.
In 2019, Rafsanjani’s daughter, Fatemeh Hashemi, revealed in an interview with Etemad newspaper that two months before her father's death, two individuals had approached her at the university, warning that her father “would be killed in a way that would make it appear as a natural death.”
Despite the warnings, the official investigation, led by Ali Shamkhani, then Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, concluded that Rafsanjani's death was "completely natural, without any ambiguity."
Rafsanjani's other son, Mohsen Hashemi, stated in an interview published by the reformist Etemad Online website on January 15, 2022, that the Islamic Republic had adopted a policy of attributing his father's death to natural causes. He further criticized the investigation conducted by the Supreme Council of National Security, describing it as "superficial."
Rafsanjani's death is not an isolated case. The Islamic Republic has a history of suspicious deaths among its officials. One such case is that of Mohammad Rouhani, the son of President Hassan Rouhani, who was murdered in his home located on a military base in southern Tehran in 1996. At the time, Mohammad Rouhani was a flight student, and his death has been shrouded in secrecy. Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat and deputy to Rouhani when he headed the Supreme National Security Council, told the Time magazine that Mohammad Rouhani was killed for political reasons. Yet, the details of his murder have never been fully disclosed.
Mousavian revealed that Hassan Rouhani pursued the matter for years but eventually decided to remain silent and not pursue the issue further.