A website called Savannah Time describes itself as “your trusted source for conservative news and perspectives in the vibrant city of Savannah.” Another site, NioThinker, wants to be “your go-to destination for insightful, progressive news.” The online outlet Westland Sun appears to cater to Muslims in suburban Detroit.
None are what they appear to be. Instead, they are part of what American officials and tech company analysts say is an intensifying campaign by Iran to sway this year’s American presidential election.
Iran has long carried out clandestine information operations against its adversaries, especially Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States, but until now most of its activities were conducted under the shadow of similar campaigns by Russia and China. Its latest propaganda and disinformation efforts have grown more brazen, more varied and more ambitious, according to the U.S. government, company officials and Iran experts.
The summer before the 2020 election I was working on some cybersecurity outreach with CISA, UofO, and DHS. The guy from DHS pivoted half the discussions into how much worse that topic had become for them since the Iran Deal was cancelled by Trump. A not-entirely-intended (but well understood) benefit of the deal had been that Iran wasn’t willing to risk it ending by partaking in any overt cyber offensives against the US.