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Iran behind hack attacks and online disinformation campaigns meant to boost Biden

Sep 14, 2020 12:00 pm By Robert Spencer 5 Comments

The Obama administration was so beneficial for the Islamic Republic, it’s perfectly understandable that the mullahs would want more of it.

“Iran Behind Hack Attacks, Online Disinformation Campaigns to Boost Biden,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, September 11, 2020:

Iran is behind an ongoing series of hack attacks and online disinformation campaigns meant to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election and boost Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

The Islamic Republic is betting on Biden’s campaign, according to regional experts and U.S. officials tracking the country’s efforts to sway the presidential contest. Tehran has engaged in cyber espionage operations targeting President Donald Trump’s campaign since late 2019, cyber experts say. It also has joined adversarial regimes such as Russia and China in waging online disinformation campaigns on social media as part of a larger effort to polarize voters and sow discord across America.

Iran’s efforts include amplifying anti-Trump voices in its state-controlled news outlets and creating false online personas to elevate similar material. Both Facebook and Twitter have moved in recent months to remove a litany of false accounts that they say were controlled mainly by Iran, Russia, and China. These countries have promoted disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and critiques of Trump’s response. The sophistication of these attacks has ranged from advanced stealth efforts to infiltrate the campaign and elected officials to more amateurish campaigns promoting propaganda via a slew of false social media accounts.

Iran’s efforts are meant to undermine the 2020 election. The Trump administration has waged the most aggressive sanctions campaign on Iran in history, destroying its economy and putting the ruling regime in a precarious position. Iranian leaders are betting on Biden to revive a series of policies first implemented by the Obama administration that gave Tehran access to hard currency and significant relief from crushing international sanctions. Four more years of Trump could put the Iranian regime on the brink of collapse, experts say.

“In the case of the 2020 election, it’s clear the regime cannot handle four more years of maximum pressure,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran specialist with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. “It’s also clear that the regime has a particular disdain for the Trump administration, which has been remarkably effective in restoring and adding sanctions on Tehran, making them more effective—despite being unilateral—in record-setting time.”

However, “this should not be confused with being pro-Biden, per se,” as Iran remains wedded to its anti-American ideology that stretches across both political parties, according to Ben Taleblu.

Iran’s election interference has taken many forms.

Earlier this year, for instance, Facebook disclosed that it had removed “118 Pages, 389 Facebook accounts, 27 Groups, and 6 Instagram accounts,” all of them under Iran’s control. This activity included boosting the liberal “Occupy movement in the U.S. [and] criticism of U.S. policies in the Middle East,” according to Facebook, which removed a number of similar accounts in 2019.

This campaign bubbled into public view last month when William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, disclosed that “Iran seeks to undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections.”

Iran’s efforts, Evanina said, are “driven by a perception that President Trump’s reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.”…

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Filed Under: Featured, Iran, United States Tagged With: Joe Biden


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Comments

  1. Tony Naim says

    Sep 14, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    Obvious! Khamenei salivates for the billions the Biden/Camel ticket plan to provide him With under the shameful nuclear agreement of Unwise Obama!
    The “supreme leader” must be on his knees praying 5 times a day for a Biden win!
    What is scary is the ignorance of a significant portion of the American electorate About Iran’s and Turkey’s intentions. Each has a more radical Islamic agenda than the other.
    God help President Trump!
    In line with Sister Dede, I pray the rosary for him every day.

    Reply
  2. J Morgan says

    Sep 14, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    Yep, Trump good for America, bad for Iran. Sorry suckers, his supporters can see right though the falsehoods. In America, we love the underdog who is under attack from all the evil in the world and that is who we will vote for.

    Reply
  3. gravenimage says

    Sep 14, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    Iran behind hack attacks and online disinformation campaigns meant to boost Biden
    …………….

    Somehow I doubt Biden will say anything critical about this…

    Reply
  4. curious george says

    Sep 14, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    What’s new?

    Iran is not alone in wanting a Biden Presidency. China is the more serious threat by far.

    Riding the Dragon: The Biden’s Chinese Secrets.

    https://get.blazetv.com/riding-the-dragon/

    Reply
  5. OLD GUY says

    Sep 15, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    Iran liked the deal they got last time Biden was involved in negotiations with them. Iran is hoping for the Harris/Biden ticket, did I get that backwards?

    Reply

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