The United States Treasury Department announced new sanctions Tuesday targeting organizations in Russia and Iran for their attempts to interfere with the 2024 presidential election through disinformation campaigns.
The sanctions target two main groups: the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise and Iran's Cognitive Design Production Center, a subsidiary of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to Treasury officials, the Russian organization leveraged artificial intelligence to create and spread fake videos about American political candidates. The group reportedly operated over 100 fraudulent news websites and even paid US companies to generate pro-Russian content. The organization maintained its own AI servers to avoid detection and blocking by mainstream web hosting services.
The Iranian group, linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard which the US considers a terrorist organization, worked to intensify political divisions in America since 2023. US intelligence indicated Iran attempted to provoke protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza while also conducting cyber attacks against prominent political figures, including members of Donald Trump's campaign team.
Bradley T. Smith, Treasury's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, stated that both governments deliberately targeted US election processes to create discord among Americans through coordinated disinformation efforts.
US intelligence agencies reported that Russia, Iran and China all worked to undermine faith in American democracy during the election period. Officials concluded that while Russia supported Trump's candidacy, Iran opposed it - likely due to Trump's previous actions against Iran including sanctions and the killing of General Qassem Soleimani.
Both Russian and Iranian officials denied any involvement in election interference attempts. A Russian embassy spokesperson insisted that Russia does not meddle in other countries' internal affairs.
The new sanctions represent the latest US response to foreign attempts at election manipulation through technology and targeted disinformation campaigns.