Iranian officials say they plan to interfere in US elections — Jerusalem Post
Iranian officials said they were preparing to interfere in the US midterm elections on November 3, as well as attempting to influence the parliamentary elections in Israel that took place on Tuesday. The Jerusalem Post reports this, citing The Telegraph, which spoke with several Iranian officials.
According to one source of the British outlet, Tehran had explored opportunities to recruit people involved in electoral processes in the two countries. He also said that cyber groups had been created to attack election systems. Another official described such operations as a continuation of Iran's military confrontation with the United States and Israel and claimed that their goal was to destabilize both states rather than secure the victory of specific candidates.
Concerns in Israel
On the eve of the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran and its regional allies were considering ways to interfere in the electoral process, including through cyberattacks and possible attacks. At the same time, The Telegraph's report contains no evidence that Iranian operators managed to infiltrate voting systems in Israel or the United States.
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According to preliminary results published by Israel's Central Elections Committee, Netanyahu's bloc could receive 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot could receive 48. Arab parties were projected to win a combined 19 mandates, which could make their support decisive for forming a government. Iranian officials, according to The Telegraph, view a possible prolonged political deadlock in Israel as a favorable time to restore Iran's military capabilities damaged during the conflict.
Expectations from the US elections
Iranian officials also expressed hope that Democratic success in the congressional midterm elections would limit US President Donald Trump's ability to continue military operations against Iran and support new Israeli strikes. These elections will determine control of the House of Representatives and approximately one-third of the seats in the Senate.
One senior Iranian official told The Telegraph that Tehran was ready for a diplomatic settlement but would respond with force if hostilities resumed. According to him, Iran's future response may not be limited to US military facilities.
