In an updated assessment of threats to the November election, the office of Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement that the intelligence community “has observed that Tehran is working to influence the presidential election, possibly because Iranian leaders want to avoid an outcome they believe will increase tensions with the United States.”
“This has been reflected in covert social media activity and related activity,” the official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a briefing, adding that Iran’s preference for a presidential candidate has not changed since 2020.
According to a declassified US intelligence report, Iran conducted a “multi-pronged covert campaign in the 2020 election campaign aimed at undermining former President Trump’s re-election prospects.”
For its part, the Iranian mission to the United Nations told CNN in a statement that “Iran is not engaged in any goals or activities aimed at influencing the US elections,” adding: “A large part of these allegations are characterized by psychological operations designed to artificially boost election campaigns.”
It is noteworthy that Trump ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in January 2020, and withdrew from the nuclear agreement that aimed to limit Tehran’s nuclear program.
The alleged Iranian threats to Trump’s candidacy were not limited to the internet. In recent weeks, US authorities obtained intelligence from a source about an Iranian plot to attempt to assassinate Trump, a development that led to the Secret Service increasing security around the former president. Iran has denied the assassination plot allegations.
CNN confirmed that there is no indication that Thomas Matthew Crooks, who tried to kill Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, was linked to the Iranian plot.
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said earlier that Iran was trying to stir up protests in the United States over the conflict between Israel and Gaza, through online calls and in some cases providing financial support to protesters.
“Tehran relies on extensive online networks to spread disinformation and has been notably active in exacerbating tensions over the conflict between Israel and Gaza,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement Monday.
“Russia remains a persistent threat to U.S. elections,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said.
US officials said Moscow is using Russia-based companies to design content for an American audience.
Moscow denies US allegations of election influence.
The intelligence report said that China “does not likely plan to influence the presidential election, but U.S. intelligence is monitoring the possibility that influential individuals linked to China will discredit lesser candidates.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Biden, during a previous meeting, that China would not interfere in the elections.
Source: CNN
#Intelligence #Secret #Iranian #Campaign #Undermine #Trumps #Presidential #Candidacy
2024-07-30 12:37:59