WASHINGTON — The United States has imposed sanctions on two groups linked to Iranian and Russian efforts to ahead of this year’s election.
Treasury officials announced the sanctions Tuesday, alleging that the two organizations sought to stoke divisions among Americans before November’s vote. U.S. intelligence has , including fake videos, news stories and social media posts, designed to manipulate voters and .
“The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through ,” Bradley T. Smith, Treasury’s acting undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a .
Authorities said the Russian group, the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, oversaw the creation, financing and dissemination of disinformation about American candidates, .
In addition to the group itself, the new sanctions apply to its director, who authorities say worked closely with Russian military intelligence agents also overseeing cyberattacks and .
Authorities say the center used AI to quickly manufacture fake videos about American candidates created scores of fake news websites designed to look legitimate and even to create pro-Russian content.
The Iranian group, the Cognitive Design Production Center, is a subsidiary of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, U.S. officials said, which the United States has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Officials say the center worked since at least 2023 to incite political tensions in the United States.
U.S. intelligence agencies have blamed the Iranian government for . Iran also has been accused of hacking into the accounts of several top current and former U.S. officials, including .
In the months ahead of the election, U.S. intelligence officials said Russia, Iran and China all sought to undermine confidence in U.S. democracy. They also concluded that Russia sought to prop up the ultimate victor , who has Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggested cutting funds to Ukraine and repeatedly .
Iran, meanwhile, sought to oppose Trump’s candidacy, officials said. The president-elect’s first administration , reimposed sanctions and ordered the , an act prompting Iran’s leaders to vow revenge.
Russian and Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected claims that they sought to influence the outcome of the 2024 election. Messages left with officials from both countries were not immediately returned Tuesday.
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