The campaign of Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump revealed on Saturday that it had been targeted by a cyberattack, accusing the Iranian government of being behind the breach. Despite the serious accusation, the campaign did not provide direct evidence, instead referencing the longstanding strained relations between Trump and Iran as a potential motive.Leaked Emails and Internal DocumentsThis announcement came shortly after Politico reported that it had been receiving emails from an anonymous source since July. These emails allegedly contained authentic documents from Trumps campaign, including sensitive information about the vulnerabilities of his running mate, JD Vance. The Trump campaign responded with a statement condemning the breach. “These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the U.S., intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our democratic process,” said campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung.Iranian Hackers Linked to Election InterferenceThe Trump campaigns statement also referenced a recent report by Microsoft, which claimed that hackers affiliated with the Iranian government had attempted to breach the account of a high-ranking official in a U.S. presidential campaign in June. According to Microsoft, the hackers first compromised the account of a former political advisor, which they then used to target the official. However, Microsoft did not disclose the identities of the targets or provide additional details about the hackers. In response, Irans mission to the UN in New York maintained that its cyber capabilities are defensive and proportionate to the threats it faces and denied any intention of launching cyberattacks. “The U.S. presidential election is an internal matter in which Iran does not interfere,” the mission asserted.Ongoing Tensions Between Trump and IranThe allegation marks another chapter in the ongoing tensions between Trump and Iran. During his first term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and ordered the assassination of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Reflecting on these past actions, Cheung remarked, “The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House.”
