Washington DC:
The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Iranian and Russian entities for attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. election.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement that a subsidiary of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and an affiliate of the Russian Military Intelligence Service (GRU) were “inciting sociopolitical tensions and attempting to influence U.S. voters during the 2024 election cycle.” The aim is to give. US Elections.”
“The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions in an effort to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Bradley Smith, the Treasury Department’s acting assistant secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. “There is,” he said.
“The United States remains vigilant against enemies who undermine our democracy.”
“Russia does not and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the United States,” the Russian embassy in Washington told Reuters in a statement.
“As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized, we respect the will of the American people. Any insinuation about a ‘Russian conspiracy’ is a malicious smear and cannot be used to fuel America’s internal political struggles. It was fabricated for the purpose of this,” the spokesperson added.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to requests for comment.
Republican Donald Trump was elected president in November, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, marking a remarkable comeback four years after losing the White House.
The Treasury Department said the Cognitive Design Production Center had been planning an influence operation on behalf of the Revolutionary Guards since at least 2023 aimed at stirring up tensions among voters.
The Treasury Department accused the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE) of disseminating disinformation about election candidates as well as directing and subsidizing the creation of deepfakes.
The Treasury Department said CGE also manipulated the video to stage “baseless accusations regarding the 2024 vice presidential candidate.” He did not say which candidates were targeted.
The Moscow-based center, at the direction of the GRU, uses generative AI tools to create disinformation and websites designed to appear like legitimate news organizations, according to the Treasury Department. It was distributed throughout the network.
The group funded CGE and a network of US-based intermediaries to help GRU build and maintain AI support servers and maintain a network of at least 100 websites used for disinformation operations. accused of offering.
CGE’s director was also sanctioned for Tuesday’s action.
The United States’ annual threat assessment released in October found growing threats from Russia, Iran, and China seeking to influence elections, including through the use of artificial intelligence to spread disinformation and divisive information. The United States said it was watching the situation.
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