Iranian-Linked Social Media Users Impersonated 2018 U.S. Candidates

Iranian social media users impersonated Americans – including House Republicans leading up to the 2018 elections – in an effort to spread disinformation, according to a May 28 FireEye Threat Intelligence report. FireEye found that the social media users “have also had material published in U.S. and Israeli media outlets, attempted to lobby journalists to cover specific topics, and appear to have orchestrated audio and video interviews with U.S. and UK-based individuals on political issues.” The users also promoted material in support of Iranian political interests. Most of these accounts were suspended on or around May 9, the report said.