The US government has attributed the hack and leak operation targeting former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign to the Iranian government. The operation also attempted to target the Biden-Harris campaign, according to the FBI and other US intelligence agencies.

In recent days, the FBI briefed the former president on their preliminary findings after news organizations received documents believed to have come from a senior Trump campaign official's account. Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign stated that the hackers were unsuccessful in their attempts against the Biden-Harris campaign.

This investigation sheds light on Iran's efforts, along with other countries, to influence the 2024 election, US officials believe. "The IC is confident that the Iranians have sought access to individuals with direct involvement in the Presidential campaigns of both political parties, using social engineering and other methods. These activities, including thefts and disclosures, are intended to influence the US election process," said a joint statement by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

The statement highlighted that such tactics are not new, with Iran and Russia employing similar methods in the past not only in the United States but also in other countries globally.

During the 2020 election, Iran surprised some US officials with its aggressive attempts to meddle, including threats against election officials. Although the element of surprise may be absent this time around, current and former US officials believe that Iran remains determined to sow chaos during the upcoming election.

Investigators believe that the suspected Iranian hackers breached the personal email account of Roger Stone, a longtime Trump ally and political operative, in June. They then attempted to gain access to the account of a senior Trump campaign official in an ongoing effort to breach campaign networks.

Additionally, an AOL account using the pseudonymous name "Robert" has leaked internal Trump campaign documents to media outlets. Among the leaked files was a research file on JD Vance, a potential vice presidential running mate for Trump.

Email records provided by Microsoft, Google, and AOL, along with interviews with Trump campaign personnel, have been crucial in determining responsibility for the hack and leak. The hackers' techniques align with those of a notorious group associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

While uncertainty initially surrounded whether the same IRGC-backed group was responsible for the leak, investigators have connected the digital infrastructure of the AOL account to the Iranian hacking group.

According to a person familiar with the email exchanges between "Robert" and reporters, the individual behind the account had limited English fluency and exerted pressure on the reporter to publish more of the leaked documents.

In addition to the presidential campaigns, the Iranian hackers have also targeted the email accounts of current US officials and individuals associated with Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, according to research conducted by Google.

The FBI has briefed former President Trump, indicating that all indications point to Iran's responsibility for the hacking effort and that Stone's email accounts were breached. Trump himself acknowledged last week that the FBI was investigating the hack, stating it seemed to be originating from Iran.

This story continues to develop as more information is gathered and analyzed by authorities.