US intelligence officials are warning that Iran poses a significant threat to this year’s presidential elections.

“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in its efforts,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday. “It seeks to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen it do in prior election cycles.”

“It continues to adapt its cyber and influence activities, using social media platforms, issuing threats, and disseminating disinformation. It is likely it will continue to rely on its intelligence services in these efforts and Iran-based online influencers to promote its narratives.”

Haines also singled out Russia as the most “active foreign threat” to US elections, adding that China was also a “significant actor” in stoking discord and undermining confidence in American democratic institutions.

While Haines did not cite specific cases in her briefing, Iran has a well-documented history of attempting to sway US public opinion through covert influence campaigns. One such operation, as reported by CNN, was the Iran Expert Initiative – a group whose members lobbied aggressively to promote the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

Notably, a key player in this initiative, Ariane Tabatabai, currently holds a senior role at the Pentagon, while her mentor Robert Malley, who previously served as President Biden’s Iran envoy, is facing an FBI probe over potential mishandling of classified materials.