Donald Trump’s campaign has revealed that Iranian operatives were allegedly the targets of a security breach that exposed internal communications.
On Saturday, Politico reported receiving campaign materials, including detailed files on Ohio Senator JD Vance—Trump’s vice-presidential pick—via email. A campaign spokesperson told the BBC that the documents were pursued by hostile foreign actors seeking to disrupt the 2024 election.
While Politico has confirmed the authenticity of the files, the BBC and other third parties have yet to verify them independently. The campaign has also not provided concrete evidence linking the breach to Iranian government entities or hackers.
A recent Microsoft report, released shortly before the news broke, stated that an unnamed US presidential campaign had been hacked in June. According to Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), the attack involved spear-phishing—a technique where fraudulent emails trick recipients into opening harmful links.
“In recent months, Iranian entities have notably escalated their influence operations,” the MTAC report noted.
Trump campaign representative Steven Cheung referred to the MTAC findings, suggesting the June cyberattack coincided with Trump’s selection of a vice-presidential running mate. “The Iranians are aware that President Trump will put an end to their reign of terror, as he did during his first term,” Cheung stated.
According to Politico, a series of emails from an AOL account under the name “Robert” began arriving in late July. One message included a 271-page dossier on Vance, focused on publicly available details about his past statements and actions. The sender also referenced parts of a report concerning Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another possible running mate.
Presidential campaigns routinely conduct extensive background checks on potential running mates to anticipate vulnerabilities. In Vance’s case, the report flagged his prior criticisms of Trump as possible areas of concern, Politico said.
Microsoft’s findings highlighted that Iranian cyber-influence efforts have consistently featured in the last three US election cycles. During the 2020 election, Microsoft similarly reported attempts by Iranian hackers to breach presidential campaigns.
Separately, US intelligence sources have warned of an unrelated Iranian plot to assassinate Trump. On Tuesday, the Department of Justice charged a Pakistani national linked to Iran with planning attacks on US officials, possibly including the former president.
The BBC has reached out to Iranian officials for comment on the allegations.