Iranian hackers threaten to leak emails of Trump's close aides

Tehran: Iranian hackers have claimed that they plan to release more emails stolen from US President Donald Trump's inner circle, having already released some to the media ahead of the 2024 US presidential election.

In online conversations with Reuters on Sunday and Monday, the hacker, known as ‘Robert’, claimed to have about 100 gigabytes of data, including emails from White House chief of staff Suzy Wiles, Trump lawyer Lindsay Halligan, adviser Roger Stone, and former actress Stormy Daniels.

Robert mentioned the possibility of selling the data, but did not specify when or how he would release it, nor did he provide any details about the content of the emails.

US Attorney General Pam Bundy called the incident an inexcusable cyberattack, and a statement released by the White House and the FBI Director Kash Patel said, “Anyone found to have violated national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law”.

The US Cybersecurity Agency (CISA) said that the true nature of this so-called cyberattack is simply digital propaganda, and the selection of targets is not random but part of a deliberate plan, aimed at harming President Trump and discrediting those who are honestly serving our country.

Spokespeople for Lindsay Halligan, Roger Stone, and Stormy Daniels declined to comment on the matter, while Iran’s mission to the United Nations also did not return a message sent by Reuters. Iran has denied allegations of cyber espionage in the past.

‘Robert’ first came to light in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, when he claimed to have hacked the email accounts of several of President Trump’s allies, including Suzy Wiles, and then released some of the emails to journalists.

Reuters verified some of the content, including one email detailing a financial settlement with lawyers for former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (now Trump’s health secretary), while others included insider campaign information and discussions of legal matters involving Stormy Daniels.

Although the revelations received some media coverage, they failed to have a major impact on the presidential election, and Trump won the election.

In September 2024, the US Department of Justice alleged in an indictment that the hacking operation called ‘Robert’ was being run under the supervision of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, but the hackers declined to comment on the allegation when contacted by Reuters.

After Trump was re-elected, Robert told Reuters that there would be no more leaks, and in May, he said, “I am retired.”

But the group has become active again this month, following a 12-day air war between Iran and Israel and the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

In messages this week, Robert said he was arranging to sell the stolen emails and wanted Reuters to highlight the issue globally.

Frederick Kagan, an expert on Iranian cyber operations at the American Enterprise Institute, said Iran has suffered heavy losses in the recent war, and Iranian intelligence agencies are looking for ways to retaliate without direct military action from the US or Israel.

“The possible explanation is that everyone has been ordered to use any unconventional means that do not provoke a full military response, and leaking more emails could be one such action,” he said.

While there are fears of major cyberattacks from Iran, Iranian hackers have remained relatively quiet during the recent tensions, but US cyber officials warned on Monday that Iran could still target American companies and critical infrastructure.