WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States implemented sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia on Tuesday, alleging their involvement in interfering with the upcoming 2024 U.S. election. The U.S. Treasury Department, through a released statement, identified the entities as a subsidiary of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an organization linked to Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU). The accusations stated that these entities had intentions to provoke socio-political tensions and influence the American electorate during the 2024 U.S. election cycle.
Bradley Smith, Treasury’s Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, emphasized the targeted entities’ efforts to disrupt the election processes and institutions, aiming to sow division among the American populace through focused disinformation campaigns. Smith remarked, “The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns.” He further asserted the United States’ unwavering commitment to remain vigilant against any adversaries attempting to undermine the country’s democratic principles.
Both Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York and Russia’s embassy in Washington refrained from immediate responses to requests for comments on the matter. The Treasury’s actions linked to the Cognitive Design Production Center revealed the entity’s strategic planning for influence operations dating back to at least 2023, orchestrated in tandem with the IRGC to incite tensions among the American electorate.
The Treasury’s sanctions expanded to include the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE), which was implicated in disseminating false information about election candidates, directing and funding the production of deepfakes. Notably, CGE manipulated a video to spread unfounded allegations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate, although the specific target was not disclosed in the Treasury’s statement.
Operating under the direction of the GRU, the Moscow-based CGE utilized generative AI tools to accelerate the production of disinformation that was disseminated across a network of websites masquerading as legitimate news sources. The Treasury highlighted the GRU’s role in financially supporting CGE and a cohort of U.S.-based facilitators to sustain an AI-support server and uphold a network comprising no less than 100 websites instrumental in executing disinformation campaigns.
The sanctions announced in Tuesday’s action also targeted CGE’s director. An annual U.S. threat assessment issued in October underscored the escalating risk posed by Russia, Iran, and China in attempting to influence elections, employing artificial intelligence as a tool to proliferate fabricated or divisive content.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama, and Angus MacSwan)
