America once again tightened its grip on Russia, targeted these organizations.
There have been repeated reports of foreign interference in the recent US presidential election. Both the Democrat and Republican parties have expressed concern about this. US security agencies are constantly cracking down on people and organizations involved in this. On Wednesday, the US imposed sanctions on two groups linked to Iran and Russia.
US Treasury officials announced the sanctions on Wednesday, alleging that the two organizations tried to divide Americans ahead of the November vote. US intelligence agencies have accused Russia and Iran of spreading misinformation, including fake videos, news stories and social media posts, claiming it was designed to mislead voters and undermine confidence in US elections.
“The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through misinformation,” Bradley T. Smith, the U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of State for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in a statement.
Worked together with Russian agents
Officials said the Moscow-based Russian group Center for Geopolitical Experts created, funded and oversaw the dissemination of misinformation about US candidates, using AI to do so, including deepfake videos.
The new sanctions target the director of the group, who US officials say worked closely with Russian military intelligence agents and oversaw cyber attacks and sabotage activities against the West.
Sanctions imposed on Iranian group
US officials said the Iranian group, Cognitive Design Production Center, is a subsidiary of Iran's IRGC, which the US considers a foreign terrorist organization. Officials say the company has worked since 2023 to incite political tensions in the US.
US intelligence agencies have accused the Iranian government of trying to incite protests in the US over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
Apart from this, Iran has also been accused of hacking the accounts of senior members of Donald Trump's campaign as well as several top current and former US officials.