US Hits Russia and Iran Groups with Sanctions for Election Meddling

On Tuesday, the US government took action against groups from Russia and Iran, accusing them of trying to interfere in the upcoming US election. The Treasury Department announced sanctions on an Iranian company linked to the Revolutionary Guards Corps and a Russian organization tied to the military intelligence agency. These groups allegedly aimed to cause political unrest and influence voters in the 2024 election. The Iranian group, Cognitive Design Production Center, has been planning influence operations since at least 2023. Meanwhile, the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE) spread false information about candidates and created deepfakes. The CGE also manipulated a video to make unfounded claims against a 2024 vice-presidential candidate, although the specific target was not named. In the 2020 election, Republican Donald Trump made a comeback and won the presidency, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. The Treasury Department's acting undersecretary, Bradley Smith, emphasized that both Iran and Russia have targeted US election processes and institutions with disinformation campaigns. He assured that the US will stay alert to protect its democracy from such threats.