WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The USA on Tuesday imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia, accusing them of making an attempt to intrude within the U.S. election this yr.
The U.S. Treasury Division in a press release mentioned the entities – a subsidiary of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and a company affiliated with Russia’s army intelligence company – aimed to “stoke socio-political tensions and influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 U.S. election.”
The Cognitive Design Manufacturing Heart deliberate affect operations since a minimum of 2023, the Treasury mentioned, whereas the Moscow-based Heart for Geopolitical Experience (CGE) circulated disinformation about candidates within the election and directed and backed the creation of deepfakes.
The Treasury mentioned CGE additionally manipulated a video to supply “baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate.” It didn’t specify which candidate was focused.
Republican Donald Trump was elected president in November, beating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and capping a outstanding comeback 4 years after he was voted out of the White Home.
“The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Treasury’s Performing Beneath Secretary for Terrorism and Monetary Intelligence, Bradley Smith mentioned within the assertion.
“The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy.”
