The United States has imposed sanctions on two groups linked to Iranian and Russia💞n efforts to target American voters with dis♏information ahead of this year's election.
Authorities said the Russian group, the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, ove🍎rsaw the creation, financing🌜 and dissemination of disinformation about American candidates, including deepfake videos created using artificial intelligence.
The United States has imposed sanctions on two groups linked to Iranian and Russia💞n efforts to target American voters with dis♏information ahead of this year's election.
Treasury officials announced the sanctions Tuesday, alleging that the two organizations soug🔯ht to stoke divisions among Americans before November's vote🍸. US intelligence has accused both governments of spreading disinformation, including fake videos, news stories and social media posts, designed to manipulate voters and undermine trust in US elections.
“The governmen꧋ts of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Br🌄adley T. Smith, Treasury's acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
Authorities said the Russian group, the Moscow-based Center for Geopo༒litical Expertise, oversaw the creation, financing and dissemination of disinformation about American candidates, including deepfake videos created using artificial intelligence.
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 sabotage against ﷽the West.
Authorities say the center used AI to quickly manufacture fake videos about American can💛didates created꧑ scores of fake news websites designed to look legitimate and even paid US web companies 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 organizat༒ion. Officials say the center worked since at least 2023 to incite political tensions in the United States.
US intelligence agencies have blamed the Iranian government for seeking to encourage protests in the US over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Iran also has been accused of hacking into the accounts of several top current and former US officials, including senior members of Donald Trump's cam💟pai💙gn.
In the months ahead of the election, US intelligence officials said Russia, Iran and China all sought to undermine confidence in US democracy. They also concluded that Russia sought to prop up the ultimate victor Trump, who has praised R꧟ussian President Vladimir Putin, suggested cutting funds to Ukraine and repeatedly criticised the NATO military alliance.
Iran, meanwhile, sought to oppose Trump's candidacy, officials said. The president-elect's first administration ended a nuclear deal wi🎃th Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an act prompting Iran's leaders to vow revenge.
Russian and Iranian officials have rejected claims that they sought to🌜 influence the outcome of the 2024 election.
“Ru🍨ssia has not and does not interfere with the internal affairs of other countries,” a spokesperson for Russia's embassy in Washington wrote in an email on Tuesday.
A m🔯essage left with officials from Iran was not immediately returned on Tuesday.