The United States on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia accusing them of aiming to stoke “socio-political tensions” and attempting to influence the 2024 U.S. election.
The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said Tuesday’s actions build on sanctions previously imposed on the entities – a subordinate organization of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a Moscow-based affiliate organization of the Russia’s military intelligence.
“The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” said Bradley T. Smith, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. “The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets with Mesa Mayor John Giles and other Mesa city and labor leadership at the East Valley American Jobs Center on May 4, 2024.
Russia 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,” the Treasury said.
Since at least 2023, the Cognitive Design Production Center, a subsidiary of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, worked to incite “socio-political tensions” by spreading disinformation, according to the Treasury.
The Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise also manipulated a video to produce baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate, the statement said. It also used Russian proxy websites, fake online personas, and frontorganizations while giving the false appearance of being independent news sources.
The statement did not specify the candidate that was targeted.
There were three major vice- presidential candidates this election cycle, including Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris who was President Joe Biden’s running mate until he dropped out of the race in July. The other two candidates included Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Harris’ running mate and Republican JD Vance, President-elect Donald Trump’s running mate.
The implications of the sanctions include blocking of all property and interests of the entities that are in the U.S. In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US sanctions imposed on Iranian and Russian entities
