U.S. Sanctions Iranian, Russian Entities Over 2024 Election Interference
The sanctioned entities are accused of exploiting socio-political tensions to influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 election period.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced sanctions against several Iranian and Russian entities accused of attempting to disrupt the 2024 U.S. election.
This was made known in a statement released on Tuesday, by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
OFAC designated a subordinate organisation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a Moscow-based affiliate of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), including its director, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13848, which targets foreign interference in U.S. elections.
The sanctioned entities are accused of exploiting socio-political tensions to influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 election period.
However, the Treasury’s statement noted that these actions are part of broader efforts to address threats from the IRGC, the GRU, and their associated networks, which have been targeted for activities such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and malicious cyber-enabled activities.
According to Bradley T. Smith, the Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, “The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions, seeking to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns.
“The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy.”
Meanwhile, in the summer of 2024, a joint U.S. government statement announced that the Government of Iran sought to stoke discord and undermine confidence in the United States’ democratic institutions, using social engineering and other efforts to gain access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both parties.
According to the statement, such activities, including thefts and disclosures of private information, are intended to influence the U.S. electoral process.
The statement read, “Following this announcement, on September 27, 2024, OFAC designated pursuant to E.O. 13848 an Iranian national and IRGC member who compromised several accounts of officials and advisors of a 2024 presidential campaign.”
OFAC also designated five employees of the Iranian cybersecurity firm Emennet Pasargad, formerly known as Net Peygard Samavat Company, which OFAC designated in November 2021 pursuant to E.O. 13848 for attempting to influence the U.S. 2020 presidential election.
“The Cognitive Design Production Center (CDPC) is a subsidiary organization of the IRGC. Since at least 2023, CDPC planned influence operations designed to incite socio-political tensions among the U.S. electorate in the lead up to the 2024 U.S. elections, on behalf of the IRGC.
“OFAC is designating CDPC pursuant to E.O 13848 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13848,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Government of the Russian Federation allegedly employs an array of tools, including covert foreign malign influence campaigns and illicit cyber activities, to undermine the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and its allies and partners globally.
OFAC said that Moscow also routinely uses its intelligence services, government-directed proxies, and covert influence tools in these efforts.
“The Kremlin has increasingly adapted its efforts to hide its involvement by developing a vast ecosystem of Russian proxy websites, fake online personas, and front organizations that give the false appearance of being independent news sources unconnected to the Russian state.
“Today’s designations follow prior OFAC actions that have highlighted and disrupted Russia’s global malign influence campaigns, including RT, RaHDit, RRN, and Doppelgänger influence operations; Kremlin-directed malign influence efforts; interference in U.S. elections; efforts to subvert democracy in Moldova; destabilization activities in Ukraine; and the operation of outlets controlled by Russian intelligence services,” OFAC stated
OFAC explained that the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE), founded by OFAC-designated Aleksandr Dugin, directs and subsidizes the creation and publication of deepfakes and circulated disinformation about candidates in the U.S. 2024 general election.
