FBI concludes Iran was behind Trump campaign hack

The FBI, alongside other intelligence agencies, announced Monday it concluded Iran was behind the hacking of the Trump campaign and that the country has attempted to disrupt both presidential campaigns.

“We have observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle, specifically involving influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting Presidential campaigns. This includes the recently reported activities to compromise former President Trump’s campaign, which the [intelligence community] attributes to Iran,” the FBI said in a statement alongside the office of the director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The statement goes on to say the country has “sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaigns of both political parties.” 

“Such activity, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the U.S. election process,” they wrote.

While the Trump campaign said earlier this month that it had been hacked by Iran, the intelligence community had not yet offered any insight into who may have carried out the hack.

The intelligence community has repeatedly pointed to Iranian efforts to influence the election, noting that both Iran and China are increasingly mirroring Russian efforts to push disinformation and sow discord among Americans ahead of the election.

“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 in a statement.

Earlier this summer, outlets reported that Iran had also crafted a plot to try and assassinate former President Trump.

Iran has denied a role in both the hacking and the assassination plans.

“Such allegations are unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing,” a spokesman for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations said in a statement Monday.

“As we have previously announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran harbors 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.”

While the intelligence community statement condemns Iran’s actions, it does not make clear whether the U.S. plans to retaliate. 

“We will not tolerate foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections, including the targeting of American political campaigns,” the agencies said.

The agencies also urge campaigns and other election-related entities to report any suspicious activity to the FBI.

The note comes as the Trump campaign apparently failed to notify the FBI that it had been hacked.

Updated at 7:33 p.m.