TEHRAN – Iran has officially declared that it has neither the intention nor the plan to carry out cyberattacks against the United States during its upcoming presidential elections.

This statement comes in response to recent allegations made by Microsoft, which claimed that Iran was involved in cyber activities aimed at interfering with the U.S. electoral process.

Iran's mission at the United Nations in New York issued a formal response to media inquiries concerning the Microsoft report. In its statement, the Iranian mission emphasized that Iran has been the target of numerous cyberattacks, which have compromised its critical infrastructure, public service centers, and industrial sectors. 

The mission underscored that Iran’s cyber capabilities are purely defensive in nature, designed solely to counteract the threats it faces.

"Iran has been a victim of various offensive cyber operations against its infrastructure, public service centers, and industries," the statement read. "Our cyber capabilities are defensive and proportionate to the threats we encounter. Iran has no intention or plan to engage in cyberattacks. The U.S. elections are a domestic matter for the United States, and Iran has no involvement in them."

The report published by Microsoft on Friday also accused Russia and China of exploiting U.S. political polarization to advance their own divisive messaging in a consequential election year.

The US election will be held on Tuesday, Nov 5 2024. Donald Trump will face Kamala Harris in the 2024 race for the White House

The winner will serve four years in the White House starting from their inauguration on Jan 20, 2025.