### U.S. Charges Iranian Hackers in Attempt to Undermine Trump Campaign

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department unveiled charges against three Iranian hackers accused of infiltrating Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and leaking stolen data to media outlets. This move marks another significant step by the U.S. government to counteract perceived attempts by Iran to meddle in the U.S. election process, particularly through efforts to destabilize Trump's campaign and create widespread disruption.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges, emphasizing the intent behind the hackers' actions. “The defendants' own words made clear that they were attempting to undermine former President Trump's campaign in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. We know that Iran is continuing with its brazen efforts to stoke discord, erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process and advance its malign activities,” he stated in a press conference.

The accused hackers worked for Iran's Revolutionary Guard and, since 2020, targeted various high-profile individuals, including a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, a former CIA deputy director, officials within the State and Defense departments, a former national security adviser, and journalists. Following the disclosure of the breach on August 10, the Trump campaign revealed that Iranian operatives had stolen and distributed sensitive internal documents.

The U.S. Treasury Department has enforced sanctions related to the hacking, while the State Department is offering rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the hackers' capture, as the suspects remain at large. Conversely, Iran's mission to the United Nations has denied the allegations, dismissing them as "unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing," and demanding evidence from the U.S.

The indictment disclosed that the hackers impersonated U.S. officials and created fake email personas to deceive victims. Politico reported receiving emails from an anonymous source using an AOL account labeled "Robert." These emails included what appeared to be a research dossier on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance, predating Trump's selection of Vance as his running mate by nearly five months.

Recently, officials revealed that in late June and early July, the Iranian operatives sent unsolicited emails with excerpts of the hacked information to individuals connected to the Biden campaign. The Biden campaign recipients did not respond, regarding the emails as potential spam or phishing attempts.

FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a direct message to Iran through a video statement: “Today the FBI would like to send a message to the government of Iran: You and your hackers can't hide behind your keyboards. If you try to meddle in our elections, we're going to hold you accountable.”