Iranian Officials Say Tehran Is Working To Disrupt Israeli And US Elections

Iranian officials are pursuing efforts to interfere in the US midterm elections on November 3 after attempting to disrupt Israel's general election on Tuesday, according to a report from The Telegraph published Thursday. Officials described plans to infiltrate electoral processes and hack voting systems as part of the effort.

One official said Tehran has examined ways to recruit people involved in the electoral processes of both countries, and cyber groups have been established to target their election systems. Another official described the operations as an extension of the military confrontation with Washington and Jerusalem, with the objective of destabilizing both countries rather than installing a preferred candidate. Officials indicated Tehran hopes political divisions in Israel and the US will limit their governments' ability to conduct further military operations against Iran.

Israeli authorities had raised concerns about Iranian attempts to influence the vote before the election. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran and its regional proxies were considering ways to interfere, including cyber operations and possible attacks. The Telegraph's report did not establish that Iranian operatives had penetrated voting systems in either country.

Iranian officials have been tracking Israel's election results, particularly the prospect that neither Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot can form a governing coalition. Results released by the Central Elections Committee on Wednesday projected Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, against 48 for Eisenkot's bloc. Arab parties were projected to win 19 seats combined, a number that could make their support decisive in forming the next government. Fadahossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, said the Arab parties are seeking to block Netanyahu from forming a government while increasing their influence over coalition talks. Dr. Steven Wagner, a senior lecturer in international security at Brunel University of London, said Tehran has reason to avoid major military action while awaiting the election's political consequences.

Regarding the US midterms, which will determine control of the House and roughly one-third of the Senate, Iranian officials expressed optimism. The report said Tehran hopes Democratic gains in Congress would restrict President Donald Trump's ability to continue military operations against Iran and support additional Israeli attacks. Wagner said Iranian officials would watch for signs Congress might limit White House spending on the conflict and military assistance to Israel.

Amir Ali Abolfath, an Iranian analyst specializing in American affairs, said historical midterm voting patterns, public opinion polls, and betting markets suggested Democrats had a significant opportunity to gain control of the House. He noted the US president retains substantial authority as commander-in-chief, meaning opposition control of Congress could complicate military operations without stopping them. He also raised the possibility the Trump administration could consider additional strikes against Iran before the election if it believed a rapid military victory would improve Republican electoral prospects. Conversely, he said, Washington might avoid an operation that risked developing into a prolonged conflict with wider regional consequences.

One senior Iranian official said Tehran was prepared for a diplomatic settlement but also ready to respond forcefully if hostilities resumed, adding that a future response would not necessarily be confined to American military assets. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei publicly dismissed the significance of Israel's election during remarks to reporters in Tehran on Monday, portraying it as a contest between factions that would continue hostile policies toward Iran regardless of outcome. State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in December 2025 that Israel faced shortcomings in its preparedness for foreign digital interference, warning that Iranian cyberattacks and espionage attempts were intensifying ahead of the 2026 election. The Iranian officials who spoke to The Telegraph emphasized that Tehran was not depending on either election to end the conflict and remained prepared for further fighting.