US Sanctions Entities in Russia and Iran for Alleged 2024 Election Interference

Facts

• The US Dept. of the Treasury imposed sanctions on entities from Russia and Iran over what it said were attempts to interfere in the 2024 US presidential election through disinformation campaigns.^[1][2]
• The sanctions target Iran's Cognitive Design Production Center, a subsidiary of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Russia's Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE), affiliated with the GRU military intelligence agency.^[3][4]
• The Moscow-based CGE, directed by Valery Korovin, allegedly used generative AI tools to create and distribute disinformation across at least 100 websites designed to look like legitimate news outlets.^[2][5]
• The Russian organization allegedly manipulated videos to produce false sexual assault accusations against a vice presidential candidate — reportedly Democrat Tim Walz — while receiving financial support from the GRU for maintaining AI servers and website networks.^[2][5]
• Iran's Cognitive Design Production Center has allegedly been conducting influence operations since 2023 to incite sociopolitical tensions among the US electorate.^[2][6]
• The Treasury's action blocks all property and interests of the affected targets that are in the United States or under US control.^[1][6]

Sources: ^[1]The Hill, ^[2]Reuters, ^[3]TASS, ^[4]The Guardian, ^[5]The Record and ^[6]CBS.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Archive and U.S Department of Treasury. These election manipulation operations are classic Russian and Iranian tactics, demonstrating these two countries' continued efforts to destabilize American democracy. The sole aims of these actions are to stoke tensions and sway voter opinion, a clear breach of US sovereignty. The use of sanctions is imperative not only to safeguard democratic institutions but also to send a strong message that future elections will remain free from foreign meddling.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Archive and Archive. These sanctions are the latest example of the US and its allies labeling any online information they disagree with as so-called "election interference." Germany, for instance, recently accused Elon Musk of election interference because he supported the AfD Party. The US, meanwhile, smears Russia and Iran as part of an "Axis of Evil" to justify its policies, painting a simplistic picture to vilify non-Western regimes and control the world.