Harming democracy in the US, creating division and stopping Donald Trump from returning to the White House are three of Iran’s main goals ahead of the US presidential election. The country has now stepped up its hacker attacks and disinformation campaigns against the United States, reports the New York Times.
– An important reason why this is happening now is that we are approaching the election, says Iran expert Arvin Khoshnood to TV4 Nyheterna.
– We have previously seen that the election has divided the United States, and now that the election campaign is in full swing, it is easier to divide the country, he continues.
Iran wants to avoid Trump as president at all costs, says Khoshnood.
– It is extremely important for Iran that Trump is not elected president. He implemented extensive sanctions against the country during his time as president. The Democrats have had a more positive attitude towards the regime in Iran, he says.
Fake websites
Using fake websites posing as reliable news sources, Iran’s cyber army is trying to influence this year’s presidential election, according to US officials and technology company analysts the newspaper spoke to.
One of the websites is called Savannah Time and is described as “a trusted source for conservative news”. Another website, NioThinker, claims to be “a destination for insightful, progressive news.”
– Even in Sweden, the Iranian regime has been involved in disinformation campaigns aimed at various target groups, says Arvin Khosnood.
Connects to the Revolutionary Guard
Iran’s vast network of agents and hackers includes companies controlled by the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
– They have a so-called cyber army controlled by the Revolutionary Guard in the country, which also includes the military and intelligence unit, but the Ministry of Intelligence may also be involved in the campaigns, says Khoshnood.
Iranian sources with knowledge of the matter told the New York Times that agents routinely scout Iranian universities to recruit top tech graduates for the cyber army. They are offered high salaries, research funding and office space.
Becoming increasingly aggressive
Iran has long conducted covert intelligence operations against its adversaries, particularly Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States. However, so far most activities have been carried out in the shadow of similar campaigns by Russia and China.
However, recent propaganda and disinformation campaigns have become increasingly brazen, according to the US government, company officials and Iran experts.
“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in its foreign influence efforts, seeking to sow discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions,” Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, warned recently.