Iran Emerges As A Top Disinformation Threat In U S Presidential Race

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 5, 2025, 9:54 PM

iran emerges as a top disinformation threat in u s presidential race

As a subscriber, you can share up to 3 articles each month with friends for free. Just click “Gift this Article” on this page, then copy the link or enter their email. Gifts are exclusive to subscribers, reset monthly, and each article can be redeemed once. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrives to cast his vote in the country’s parliamentary runoff elections, in Tehran, Iran, May 10, 2024. With a flurry of hacks and fake websites, Iran has intensified its efforts to discredit American democracy and possibly tip the race against former President Donald Trump. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times)

A website called Savannah Time describes itself as “your trusted source for conservative news and perspectives in the vibrant city of Savannah.” Another site, NioThinker, wants to be “your go-to destination for insightful, progressive... None are what they appear to be. Instead, they are part of what American officials and tech company analysts say is an intensifying campaign by Iran to sway this year’s U.S. presidential election. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.

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No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article. Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center found groups linked to Russia, Iran and China have been steadily launching efforts online to sow division or spread disinformation among U.S voters.

Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images hide caption Groups connected to the Iranian government are using a spectrum of online tactics to interfere with the U.S. presidential election, according to a new Microsoft report published Friday. Researchers at Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center found Iranian operatives have been laying the groundwork to incite chaos and sow division among American voters ahead of Election Day. Some of their strategies include setting up fake news sites and targeting government employees and officials. Iran's attempts to meddle in U.S.

politics come on top of efforts by groups linked to Russia. But the two countries have notably different approaches, according to Clint Watts, the Center's general manager. "Russia is very different. They're very focused on shaping the outcome of the election. Iran is focused as much on just breaking the ability of an election to occur," he said. The Iranian government interfered in the 2024 United States elections through social media efforts and hacking operations.[1][2] Iranian interference came amidst larger foreign interference in the 2024 United States elections.

The efforts were identified as an effort to tip the race against former president Donald Trump through propaganda and disinformation campaigns. However, Iranian efforts have also targeted Joe Biden and Kamala Harris with similar attacks, which The New York Times stated suggested "a wider goal of sowing internal discord and discrediting the democratic system in... In June 2024, the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, and the re-election campaign of Joe Biden, the president of United States, were targets of a hacking operation.[4]... presidential campaign fell victim to a spear phishing attack perpetrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating the hack.[5][6] U.S. intelligence agencies stated they were confident that the hacks were perpetrated by Iran on August 19.[2]

In March 2021, the National Intelligence Council released a report that found Russia and Iran carried out operations to influence the 2020 election.[7] A declassified U.S. intelligence report released in December 2023 found with "high confidence" that a "diverse and growing group of foreign actors" including China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba had all interfered in the 2022 midterms with influence... By July 2024, American intelligence assessments concluded that Iran had covertly supported pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses using social media by posing as students with operatives providing financial assistance to some protest groups in... Updated on: August 19, 2024 / 9:09 PM EDT / CBS News Washington — Iran's efforts to interfere with the 2024 presidential election are growing more aggressive as they target political campaigns — including GOP nominee Donald Trump's — and the American public with cyber and... The rare joint statement from the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said the measures Iran is taking to "stoke discord and undermine confidence in...

Intelligence officials for the first time publicly blamed Iran-backed hackers for the targeting of the Trump campaign, which revealed last week that it had been hacked and blamed Iranian actors for stealing and distributing... Three sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to CBS News that federal investigators suspected Iranian hackers targeted individuals associated with the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns. The FBI launched the probes in the early summer after both presidential campaigns experienced attempted phishing schemes targeting campaign staff, the sources said. FILE - An iPhone displays the Facebook app, Aug. 11, 2019, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Iran is accelerating online activity that appears intended to influence the U.S. election, in one case targeting a presidential campaign with an email phishing attack, Microsoft said Friday. Iranian actors also have spent recent months creating fake news sites and impersonating activists, laying the groundwork to stoke division and potentially sway American voters this fall, especially in swing states, the technology giant... The findings in Microsoft’s newest threat intelligence report show how Iran, which has been active in recent U.S. elections, is evolving its tactics for another election that’s likely to have global implications. The report goes a step beyond anything U.S.

intelligence officials have disclosed, giving specific examples of Iranian groups and the actions they have taken so far. Iran’s United Nations mission denied it had plans to interfere or launch cyberattacks in the U.S. presidential election. The report doesn’t specify Iran’s intentions besides sowing chaos in the United States, though U.S. officials have previously hinted that Iran particularly opposes former President Donald Trump. U.S.

officials also have expressed alarm about Tehran’s efforts to seek retaliation for a 2020 strike on an Iranian general that was ordered by Trump. This week, the Justice Department unsealed criminal charges against a Pakistani man with ties to Iran who’s alleged to have hatched assassination plots targeting multiple officials, potentially including Trump. Iran is stepping up its influence campaign aimed at the U.S., researchers at Microsoft said in a new report, adding to the ongoing efforts by Russia and China to sway American public opinion before... Researchers identified websites that they attributed to the Iranian operation, aimed at voters on the political left and right. One website, Nio Thinker, bills itself as “your go-to destination for insightful, progressive news and analysis that challenges the status quo” and hosts articles that bash former President Donald Trump and hail Vice President... Another site identified by researchers, Savannah Time, poses as a voicey conservative local alt-weekly.

“We’re opinionated, we’re noisy, and we’re having a good time,” the about section of the site says. It hosts articles claiming to be written by “the spokeswoman for the International League for Women’s Rights,” arguing for more modest Olympics beach volleyball bathing suits, next to articles lauding Iran’s military might. The Microsoft Threat Analysis Center noted the sites were likely using artificial intelligence tools to lift content from legitimate U.S. news publications and repackage articles in a way that hides the content’s source. The group behind the sites, according to Microsoft, is part of a larger Iranian operation, active since 2020, that operates more than a dozen other fake news sites targeting English-, French-, Spanish- and Arabic-speaking... The campaign has not found significant success with a U.S.

audience, and the sites’ content has not been shared widely on social media, according to the researchers. But researchers say the sites could be used closer to the election. Iran’s Escalating Disinformation Campaign Targets 2024 US Presidential Election The 2024 US presidential election is facing a new wave of disinformation attacks, this time originating from Iran. While Russia and China have historically dominated the landscape of foreign interference in US elections, Iran is rapidly emerging as a significant player, employing increasingly sophisticated and brazen tactics to manipulate public opinion and... This campaign, identified by US officials and tech company analysts, goes beyond simply supporting one candidate over another, aiming to undermine trust in the democratic process itself and weaken American institutions.

Websites masquerading as local news outlets, like Savannah Time, NioThinker, and Westland Sun, are among the tools being deployed in this escalating information war. These seemingly innocuous websites, catering to specific demographics with tailored content, are actually carefully crafted facades concealing their true purpose. Savannah Time purports to be a conservative news source, while NioThinker presents itself as a progressive outlet. Westland Sun targets the Muslim community in suburban Detroit. These targeted approaches, designed to resonate with specific audiences, increase the likelihood of the disinformation taking hold and spreading organically within those communities. The seemingly authentic nature of these websites allows them to bypass the skepticism often associated with overtly foreign propaganda, making them more effective vectors for spreading manipulated narratives.

While former President Donald Trump appears to be a primary target of this Iranian campaign, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have also been subjected to attacks. This suggests a broader strategy at play, extending beyond simply influencing the election outcome. By targeting figures across the political spectrum, Iran aims to amplify existing divisions within American society, erode public trust in the government, and project an image of a fractured and unstable democracy to the... The long-term goal appears to be weakening American influence and standing on the global stage. The sophistication of these operations marks a significant escalation in Iran’s foreign influence efforts. Previous campaigns often relied on clumsier tactics, more easily identifiable as foreign interference.

The current strategy, however, demonstrates a deeper understanding of the American media landscape and the nuances of online information consumption. By creating seemingly legitimate news sources, Iran can subtly inject disinformation into the public discourse, making it harder to detect and counter. This evolution in tactics poses a serious challenge to US efforts to combat foreign interference and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. Iran is striking out left and right in an attempt to interfere with the U.S. presidential election in November with the help of slick-looking websites, hackers, and phishing attacks. The objective of the sophisticated campaign, U.S.

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