FBI: Russia and Iran are trying to disrupt the US presidential election

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned that Moscow and Tehran are trying to influence the course of the US presidential election, which began on November 5.

This was stated in a joint statement by FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

US intelligence agencies have said that outside powers, including Russia, are trying to undermine peopleʼs confidence in the integrity of the vote and "intensify divisions among Americans." Efforts are expected to focus on swing-states.

The biggest threat is Russia — Russian agents are spreading fake videos and articles to make the election illegitimate. Such a campaign could lead to violence, particularly against election officials, FBI says. New fakes are waiting even after the polling stations are closed.

The day before, the Russians published an article in which they claimed that officials in Washington wanted to falsify elections in various states by throwing ballots and carrying out cyber attacks. The Kremlin also released a fake interview with a person who talked about the rigging of the Arizona election in favour of Kamala Harris.

Iran also remains a significant threat of foreign influence. In particular, Tehran was exposed in hacking attacks aimed at compromising Donald Trumpʼs campaign.

"Iran is determined to take revenge on former US officials it considers responsible for the January 2020 death of the IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani. Donald Trump is his [Iranʼs] priority target for revenge,” the statement said.

The US presidential election

Today, November 5, the US presidential elections began in the USA. Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are tied in the race, with polls showing nearly equal support for the candidates, with one candidate leading the other within statistical margin.

The president of the USA is elected by the electoral college. It has 538 people, and to become president, a candidate must get 270 votes. The number of voters varies depending on the population of the state. Under the American electoral system, electoral votes "weigh" more than direct electoral votes. Almost all states have a winner-take-all system, where all of the stateʼs electoral votes go to the candidate with the most votes.

The Electoral College will make a formal decision on the election of the new 47th president of the United States in December 2024, but according to preliminary estimates, the winner of the presidential election will be known much earlier.

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