Iranian hackers reportedly obtained and distributed information from Donald Trump’s electoral campaign to individuals connected to the Biden campaign, according to US intelligence agencies and the FBI. The unsolicited emails were sent in late June and early July, before Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. US officials have not found evidence of any replies from the recipients of these emails.

In August, authorities warned that Iran was attempting to fuel discord and undermine trust in US institutions ahead of the November election. The hackers reportedly used “social engineering” techniques to target both the Democratic and Republican campaigns—a tactic linked to Iranian and Russian interference efforts globally.

The FBI stated that since June, Iranian hackers have continued sending stolen, non-public material from Trump’s campaign to US media outlets. Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt called the breach proof of Iran’s interference to aid Biden and Kamala Harris, claiming that Iran feared Trump’s tough sanctions.

In response, Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, stated that the campaign had cooperated with authorities since learning of the hacking attempts. She clarified that no materials were sent directly to the campaign, and a few individuals had received what appeared to be spam or phishing emails. Finkelstein condemned any foreign election interference in the strongest terms.