US Intelligence: Iran Seeks to Undermine Trump Ahead of Election

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
TT

US Intelligence: Iran Seeks to Undermine Trump Ahead of Election

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Cloud, Minn. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Iran is working to undermine Donald Trump’s bid to regain the White House, US intelligence officials signaled Monday.

In a briefing for reporters organized by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, officials alluded to but stopped short of directly stating Tehran’s opposition to Trump.

A senior intelligence official said that Tehran and Moscow maintain their same presidential preferences as in past cycles, whereas Iranian operatives are attempting to tear down the Republican ticket while Russia has made efforts to smear the Democrats, according to prior intelligence community assessments.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations denied in an email that Iran engages in any "activities intended to influence the US election" and said that many such accusations are "characterized by psychological operations designed to artificially pep up election campaigns."
The Russian embassy did not respond immediately to a request for comment.



Turkish Forces Kill 13 Kurdish Militants in Northern Iraq

Turkish forces targeted Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with airstrikes (AFP file photo)
Turkish forces targeted Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with airstrikes (AFP file photo)
TT

Turkish Forces Kill 13 Kurdish Militants in Northern Iraq

Turkish forces targeted Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with airstrikes (AFP file photo)
Turkish forces targeted Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with airstrikes (AFP file photo)

Turkish forces targeted Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with airstrikes, killing 13 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the defense ministry said on Tuesday.

The PKK militants were "neutralized" in the Gara and Haftanin regions of northern Iraq, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry's use of the term "neutralized" generally means killed, according to Reuters.

Türkiye's military previously conducted airstrikes in northern Iraq on Friday and destroyed 25 Kurdish militant targets, the defense ministry said in an earlier statement.

It said those targets included caves, shelters, bunkers, depots and facilities.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.