U.S. charges three Iranian nationals in Trump campaign hack

• Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against three Iranian nationals in connection with a recent hack of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign.
• The alleged cyber actors engaged in "a wide-ranging hacking campaign" that also targeted government officials, media figures and non-governmental organizations, according to the Department of Justice.
• The charges come amid heightened scrutiny about how foreign actors are influencing the race between Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

Federal prosecutors on Friday announced criminal charges against three Iranian nationals in connection with a recent hack of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's campaign and other cyberattacks.

The three "malicious cyber actors," who were employed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, engaged in "a wide-ranging hacking campaign" that also targeted current and former government officials, media figures and non-governmental organizations, according to an indictment filed in Washington, D.C., federal court.

The U.S. designates the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization.

"There are few actors in this world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference Friday.

"The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by Iran, or by any foreign power, to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy."

The 37-page, 18-count indictment charges the three men, Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri and Yasar Balaghi, with hacking conspiracy, computer fraud, wire fraud, identity theft and conspiring to support terrorism.

The charges come amid heightened scrutiny about how foreign actors, especially Iran,