International, Politics, U.S., U.S. Elections

US sanctions Russian and Iranian groups over 2024 election interference

January 2, 2025

Karah Rucker, Anchor/Reporter

This recording was made using enhanced software.

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The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting two foreign organizations accused of attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The sanctions focus on a Russian group, the Center for Geopolitical Expertise, linked to Moscow’s foreign military intelligence agency, the GRU, and an Iranian group, the Cognitive Design Production Center, tied to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

According to the Treasury Department, both organizations are behind efforts to spread disinformation and create division among U.S. voters. The Russian-linked group is accused of using artificial intelligence to generate fake news stories and manipulate videos.

The group allegedly created online videos designed to smear the reputation of Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, and ran a network of more than 100 fake websites spreading false claims about the 2024 election.

The Iranian group is accused of planning similar influence operations since at least 2023, aimed at inciting socio-political unrest in the U.S., according to the Treasury Department’s press release.

Treasury officials said the sanctions are part of a broader effort to protect U.S. elections from foreign interference. The sanctions freeze all assets of the targeted organizations in the U.S. and prevent American individuals and entities from engaging with or investing in them.

This move follows multiple warnings from the FBI about the growing threat of foreign influence in U.S. elections.

“Today’s sanctions build on numerous previous U.S. government actions that have disrupted Iran’s attempts to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, and Russia’s global malign influence campaigns and illicit cyber activities,” The Treasury Department said in a statement.

It added, “The United States continues to closely monitor efforts by malicious actors to influence or interfere in the integrity of our elections. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.”