Intel Chair Turner criticizes Biden-Harris administration's response to Iran threat as 'inadequate'.

The House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner is urging President Biden to take immediate and forceful action against Iran, stating that his administration's response is dangerously insufficient, following the intelligence community's determination that the regime is actively attempting to influence the 2024 presidential election.

In a letter to President Biden, Turner, R-Ohio, expressed his "grave concern" regarding Iran's activities, which was obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital.

"According to Turner, the FBI and U.S. intelligence community have shown that Iran is systematically attempting to undermine the legitimacy of our democratic system. In recent months, several individuals linked to the Iranian government have been accused of plotting to assassinate former President Trump and members of his administration on American soil."

Despite the "severity of these threats," the response from the Biden-Harris administration has been "dangerously inadequate."

"Allowing Iran to persist in its misinformation and aggression not only empowers a rogue regime but also places American lives at unacceptable risk, as Turner wrote, stating that the failure to decisively confront Iran undermines the security of our electoral system and emboldens other hostile actors who might seek to exploit this weakness."

Biden is being urged by Turner to take "immediate and forceful action" against the threat from Iran.

"A comprehensive strategy must be developed by your administration to safeguard our elections and protect our citizens," Turner wrote. "The security of our nation and the integrity of our democracy depend on a strong and proactive response."

The ODNI, FBI, and CISA announced on Monday that Iran is targeting the American public and presidential campaigns with increasingly aggressive activity during the 2024 election cycle, with the goal of sowing discord and undermining confidence in our democratic institutions.

"Iran has a longstanding interest in exploiting societal tensions and gaining access to sensitive information related to U.S. elections through cyber operations. The IC has previously reported that Iran perceives this year's elections to be particularly consequential in terms of its national security interests, increasing its inclination to try to shape the outcome."

During the 2024 election cycle, the intelligence community has observed a rise in Iranian activity, which includes influence operations aimed at the American public and cyber operations directed at presidential campaigns.

The IC stated that the recently reported activities that compromised former President Trump's campaign were attributed to Iran.

After Politico received internal Trump campaign documents, the FBI began investigating Iranian cyber hacking attempts against Trump's presidential campaign.

The Trump campaign claimed that the documents were obtained "unlawfully from adversaries hostile to the United States," with the intention of "interfering in the 2024 election and causing chaos in our democratic process."

In June 2024, a "high ranking official" on Trump's campaign had their account hacked by Iranian cybercriminals.

Following recent reports of an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump, a hack by Iran occurred.

"Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the Iranians are aware that President Trump will put an end to their reign of terror, as he did in his first four years in office. Any news outlet that republishes documents or internal communications is working on behalf of America's enemies and fulfilling their wishes."

The intelligence community is "confident that the Iranians have attempted to gain access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both political parties through social engineering and other efforts."

"These tactics, such as thefts and disclosures, are used to influence the U.S. election process. It is important to note that this approach is not new. Iran and Russia have employed these tactics not only in the United States during this and prior federal election cycles but also in other countries around the world."

Our top priority is to safeguard the sanctity of our elections from any foreign meddling or manipulation.

"The FBI, as the lead for threat response, has been tracking this activity, has been in contact with the victims, and will continue to investigate and gather information in order to pursue and disrupt the threat actors responsible. We will not tolerate foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections, including the targeting of American political campaigns."

The intelligence community is collaborating with its public and private sector partners to exchange information, enhance security, and detect and neutralize any threats.

The 2024 presidential campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris stated to Planet Chronicle that they are diligently safeguarding against cyber threats and have not detected any breaches of their systems.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has long been suspected of carrying out hacking campaigns against its adversaries in the Middle East and beyond. Additionally, Tehran has long threatened to retaliate against the United States, particularly President Trump, for the 2020 drone strike that resulted in the death of prominent Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Microsoft reported that the foreign malign influence on the 2024 US election has increased steadily over the past six months, initially due to Russian operations, but more recently due to Iranian activity.

The analysis revealed that Iranian cyber-enabled influence operations have been a persistent element in at least the past three U.S. election cycles. Unlike Russian campaigns, Iran's operations have been distinguishable for occurring later in the election season and focusing more on cyberattacks aimed at election conduct rather than swaying voters.

Microsoft concluded that recent activity indicates that the Iranian regime and the Kremlin may be equally involved in the 2024 election.