TEHRAN (Iran News)  In a statement released on Friday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani rejected the claim made by US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland about increasing efforts by some countries, including Iran, to interfere in the US presidential election.

Speaking at the Election Threats Task Force convening, Garland accused Iran of “aggressive” actions aimed at influencing the outcome of the election. “We have observed increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle,” Garland alleged, citing intelligence reports.

In response, Kanaani rejected the “hackneyed, baseless and biased” allegations, saying such accusations pursue domestic political objectives in the US.

He also reminded the American officials that they cannot heal the rifts and settle their country’s internal problems, which have structural, political and social roots, by pinning the blame on others and leveling accusations against the foreign countries.

“The US government, which spearheads illegal interference in the internal affairs of the other independent states and has a litany of such destructive measures on its record, cannot attribute its domestic problems and crises to the other countries by making accusations against them or cover up the dark record of its extrajudicial actions and interference in the internal affairs of the independent states,” he added.

Last month, Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations dismissed the “unsubstantiated” allegations of efforts to interfere in the 2024 US presidential election.

The Iranian UN mission dismissed a statement issued by three US federal intelligence agencies that has accused Tehran of attempting to interfere in the 2024 presidential election and targeting political campaigns and American public with cyber and influence operations.

The joint statement from the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) had alleged that the measures Iran is taking to “stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions” have increased because Iran “perceives this year’s elections to be particularly consequential” for its domestic policies.

“Such allegations are unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing. As we have previously announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran harbors neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the US presidential election,” the Iranian mission in New York said.

The apparent arson fire in the Ballot drop box took place around 8:30 p.m. in the 4100 block of Baldwin Park Boulevard in Baldwin Park, a small city about 20 miles east of Los Angeles.

Crews responded to the fire, which was just outside the city’s public library, and extinguished the flames, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.

A number of ballots were reportedly inside the box. Investigators say they believe the ballot box was set on fire on purpose.

It was unclear how the fire was started, but the blaze is being investigated as an arson, Los Angeles County Fire Department told the Los Angeles Times.

No arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified. Sgt. Juan Serrato told the paper that authorities took custody of the damaged ballots and they will be transferred to the county’s registrar-recorder’s office later Monday, Fox News reported.

The Baldwin Park Fire Department could not be reached for comment.

The fire comes amid a surge in vote-by-mail ballots ahead of the November election.

California’s ballot boxes gained national attention after state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Alex Padilla accused the California Republican Party of collecting ballots via unofficial ballot boxes in multiple counties.

The state Republican Party has removed their unstaffed, unofficial ballot drop boxes that state officials deemed illegal, California’s secretary of state said Friday, and subpoenas are being issued to get more information about them as the state attorney general looks into possible election law violations.

The surge in early voting comes amid a stubborn novel coronavirus pandemic that has led to a surge of early and mail balloting, particularly among Democrats, Reuters reported.

Republican US President Donald Trump has sowed confusion and distrust of mail balloting, making repeated, unfounded allegations of widespread fraud ahead of his contest with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

As of last night, nearly 10.4 million Americans have cast a vote in states that report early voting data, according to the election information resource at the University of Florida.

By way of comparison, as of October 16, 2016, some 1.4 million Americans had cast an early vote.

The number of ballots cast in five states — Minnesota, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin — already exceeds 20 per cent of total 2016 turnout, the Elections Project said.

The “clarification” from the Taliban spokesman came hours after the report that the group threw its weight behind Trump set Twitter alight, with the US president’s detractors seizing upon the unusual endorsement to tear into the Trump administration, RT reported.

“US news outlet @CBSNews has interpreted & published my remarks incorrectly. Nothing of the sort has been communicated as publicized by them,” Mujahid tweeted.

In its report on Saturday, CBS News claimed that Mujahid told them in a “phone interview” that he hopes Trump would prevail over his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in November, and stick to the withdrawal plan, agreed as part of the deal with the Taliban earlier this year.

“We hope he will win the election and wind up US military presence in Afghanistan,” CBS News cited Mujahid as saying.

In another quote CBS News attributed to Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman was cited praising Trump’s “America first” motto. “It is the slogan of Trump from the start that they are not cops for the world and don’t want a single flag and anthem for the globe, but their priority is America,” Mujahid allegedly said.

Apart from Mujahid, CBS News also cited another unnamed “senior Taliban member” praising the US leader.

It’s unclear what exactly in the CBS News “bombshell” prompted Majahid to accuse the channel of twisting his words, since he has not elaborated further.

While the alleged Taliban’s endorsement has seen Trump’s critics declaring an open season on the president, his own campaign was quick to reject the apparent accolade.

“The Taliban should know that the president will always protect American interests by any means necessary,” Trump’s campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said.

Under a deal with the group, the US agreed to a complete withdrawal of combat troops by spring 2021, pulling out forces in stages as the Afghan government works toward a long-term ceasefire with the Taliban. Trump has always rallied behind a full withdrawal of forces, saying as recently as Wednesday that all US soldiers in Afghanistan could be home by Christmas, although this timeline appears to be at odds with that of the US military brass.

“It is not important at all what is said inside the election campaigns in the US. Our criterion is the (UNSC) Resolution (2231) and the JCPOA,” Saeed Khatibzadeh told Tasnim at a press conference on Monday, when asked about the reports that the election campaign of US Democratic candidate Joe Biden has cited a change in the timing of the JCPOA articles after the US’ withdrawal from the deal.

Trump has pulled the US out of the JCPOA and has brazenly displayed his signature on the withdrawal order, the spokesman deplored. “It does not make much difference which party takes the power (in the US). If the US intends to return to the correct path, the road is clear.”

Washington must admit to making a mistake, stop the economic war and terrorism against Iran, return to its JCPOA commitments, and make up for the damages caused by its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranian spokesman added.

In remarks in September, Iran’s permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi said it does not matter to the Islamic Republic who wins the US presidential election as long as Washington has not shifted its unlawful policy of sanctions.

In July, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said no matter who wins the 2020 presidential election in the US, the next American administration must compensate the Islamic Republic for the losses that its predecessor has inflicted on the Iranian people.

“It is not important for us who will win the upcoming election in the US, but it is important for us to see Washington rectify its approach towards Tehran,” Zarif said.

Trump made the remark at the end of a speech to supporters in Oshkosh, Wis., on Monday afternoon as he implored them to vote. It follows months of Trump claiming without evidence that widespread mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic would invite fraud into the election.

“We have to win the election. We can’t play games. Go out and vote. Do those beautiful absentee ballots, or just make sure your vote gets counted. Make sure because the only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged,” Trump told the group of supporters at the outdoor campaign event.

“Remember that. It’s the only way we’re going to lose this election, so we have to be very careful.”

“The only way they’re going to win is that way. And we can’t let that happen,” Trump said just hours before Democrats are set to begin their 2020 convention to formally nominate Joe Biden as the party’s presidential candidate, The Hill reported.

Biden leads Trump nationally and in a number of key swing states, according to recent polling.

Democrats are increasing their scrutiny of the US Postal Service after it warned states last week that it could not guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election would arrive in time to be counted even if voters follow state guidelines.

The disclosure came after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy adopted several changes to the agency, such as eliminating some mail-sorting machines that have attracted criticism. DeJoy has cast the moves as cost-cutting measures meant to help the agency, which has long faced financial problems.

Trump has backed DeJoy, a Republican megadonor, while denying that his administration is undermining the agency.

“It’s been run horribly. And we’re going to make it good,” Trump said in an interview on “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning. “Now what am I supposed to do? Let it continue to run badly? So if you fix it, they say, ‘Oh, he’s tampering with the election.’ No, we’re not tampering.”

House Democrats intend to come back to Washington on Saturday to vote on legislation to block the measures implemented by DeJoy and ensure the agency can handle an expected flood of mail-in ballots ahead of the November election.

Democratic leaders have pressed for billions in additional funding for the Postal Service in the next coronavirus relief bill, but talks with the White House have broken down. DeJoy is also slated to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee next Monday.

Trump suggested last week that he was opposed to additional Postal Service funding because it would help implement universal mail-in voting this fall but hours later shifted his position by saying he would approve funding if Democrats made other concessions sought by the White House in coronavirus relief legislation. The president has tried to blame Democrats for a lack of funding for the Postal Service to assist the election.

Trump and his campaign have largely dismissed the surveys showing him trailing Biden, arguing they understate the president’s support as others did during the 2016 cycle.

Trump’s warning about the election being “rigged” punctuates a broader assault on mail-in ballots that the president has waged with fervency since states began efforts to expand mail-in voting so that individuals can cast ballots without having to physically go to the polls during the pandemic.

Experts say, however, that there is scant evidence of meaningful voter fraud associated with mail-in ballots, and critics have viewed the president’s attacks as an effort to sow distrust about the election results.