The US considers Russia, Iran and China to be the greatest threats to the presidential election

Russia, Iran and China pose the greatest threats to critical infrastructure and democratic institutions in the United States, especially the upcoming presidential election, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a report released on October 2.

The report comes a month after the United States announced wide-ranging attacks on Russian propaganda media over alleged election interference.

Hostile foreign actors can use a range of tactics to undermine election operations, including using generative artificial intelligence to create authentic-looking texts and videos to spread disinformation, according to a DHS report.

“Russia is seeking to shape election results, undermine electoral integrity and amplify internal divisions, while using a variety of approaches to strengthen its message and lend an air of authenticity to its efforts,” the report said.

“Meanwhile, Iran sees this year’s elections as particularly important to its own national security interests.”

DHS warned that Russia, Iran and China are “increasingly using generative artificial intelligence to create more authoritative text, inauthentic synthetic audio and video that could enhance their ability to reach U.S. audiences while concealing their origins.”

There is one month left until the presidential elections in the United States, in which former President Donald Trump will face Vice President Kamala Harris. The campaign has been riddled with turmoil, including assassination attempts, President Joe Biden’s withdrawal and allegations of foreign interference.

Iranian agents have been charged with allegedly hacking Trump campaign emails. The DHS report said U.S. intelligence “believes” Iran was trying to gain access to people associated with both sides’ campaigns.

On September 4, the United States also imposed sanctions on well-known propagandists, including RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, and seized 32 Internet domains linked to Kremlin propaganda campaigns, alleging that the media tried to interfere in the upcoming elections.

Russia has previously been accused of using social media disinformation, bot farms and other means to support Donald Trump against his Democratic opponents Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden during the election campaign 2016AND 2020 elections.

Iran and China have remained key military and economic allies of Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.