Russia backs Trump and Iran supports Harris in efforts to influence the election, US intelligence says

Russia and Iran are likely looking to influence the presidential election, a US intelligence official said in a media call on Monday.

The intelligence community believes that Russia will support former president Donald Trump against Vice-President Kamala Harris and that Iran will continue its efforts to target Trump, according to NBC News.

While China doesn’t appear to have a preference, they may attempt to affect races on the congressional level, the official said.

The call was organized by the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which takes on foreign propaganda efforts.

In an alert sent out on Monday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said: “Of note for this cycle, we have observed foreign influence actors refining their tactics to better hide their hand.”

Foreign actors are hiring public relations firms, including marketing companies, to use their expertise in communications and technology to carry out their objectives, the notice said. These firms also face fewer bureaucratic limitations compared to governments.

Russia is using “influence-for-hire” firms to attempt to change US public opinion, including operations connected to the election. The firms have “directly and discreetly engaged Americans” using their influence platforms, the notice added. It has also used improved tools to create specific content for American audiences while shielding the Russian efforts from public view.

“Foreign actors continue to rely on witting and unwitting Americans to seed, promote, and add credibility to narratives that serve the foreign actors’ interests,” the notice stated. The foreign entities are looking to use these Americans to spread their messages via their own channels. For instance, Russian