The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that three Iranian nationals have been indicted for their role in a hacking plot against former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

The indictment names Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yasar Balaghi, all of whom are linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These individuals are charged with conspiracy to obtain information from a protected computer, wire fraud, identity theft, and other serious offenses, as detailed in the unsealed federal indictment, as reported by Fox News.

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These hackers are accused of orchestrating a broad cyber campaign that used spear-phishing and social engineering tactics to gain access to the accounts of U.S. government officials, journalists, and individuals tied to U.S. political campaigns.

Their primary focus, however, was targeting Trump’s campaign. According to the indictment, the Iranian operatives sought to obtain sensitive information and shared it with members of the media and individuals linked to the Biden campaign, although no media outlets published the stolen data.

The DOJ’s announcement comes as part of a wider investigation into foreign interference in U.S. elections. Attorney General Merrick Garland strongly condemned Iran’s malicious cyber activities, emphasizing that only the American people, not foreign powers, should decide election outcomes. Garland’s remarks also highlighted Iran’s increasing efforts to destabilize the United States through coordinated cyber-attacks and propaganda.

This incident isn’t the first time Trump has found himself in Iran’s crosshairs. Since ordering the killing of Qasem Soleimani, a top IRGC commander, in 2020, Trump has been a repeated target of the Iranian regime.

Plot Against Trump Campaign… by Red Voice News

Last week, Trump’s campaign revealed that there are “real and specific threats” from Iran aimed at assassinating the former president. Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, stated, “Iran’s goal is to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States.” He added that law enforcement agencies are on high alert to protect Trump and ensure election integrity.

In related developments, Microsoft disclosed last month that Iranian hackers attempted to compromise a high-ranking official connected to a U.S. presidential campaign through a phishing email, as reported by Mediaite. These revelations underscore the persistent efforts by hostile foreign actors to meddle in U.S. political affairs.