The US Treasury announced today (Tuesday) the imposition of sanctions on the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a Russian intelligence organization for interference in the 2024 US elections.
The Treasury stated, "Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating a subordinate organization of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a Moscow-based affiliate organization of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and its director pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13848, the U.S. election interference authority. As affiliates of the IRGC and GRU, these actors aimed to stoke socio-political tensions and influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 U.S. election. Today’s actions build on sanctions previously imposed on the IRGC, the GRU, and their numerous subordinate and proxy organizations, pursuant to several authorities targeting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and malicious cyber-enabled activities."
“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 Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. “The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy.”
The announcement continued, "In the summer of 2024, a joint U.S. government statement announced that the Government of Iran sought to stoke discord and undermine confidence in the United States’ democratic institutions, using social engineering and other efforts to gain access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both parties. Such activities, including thefts and disclosures of private information, are intended to influence the U.S. electoral process. Following this announcement, on September 27, 2024, OFAC designated pursuant to E.O. 13848 an Iranian national and IRGC member who compromised several accounts of officials and advisors of a 2024 presidential campaign. OFAC also designated five employees of the Iranian cybersecurity firm Emennet Pasargad, formerly known as Net Peygard Samavat Company, which OFAC designated in November 2021 pursuant to E.O. 13848 for attempting to influence the U.S. 2020 presidential election."
"The Cognitive Design Production Center (CDPC) is a subsidiary organization of the IRGC. Since at least 2023, CDPC planned influence operations designed to incite socio-political tensions among the U.S. electorate in the lead up to the 2024 U.S. elections, on behalf of the IRGC. OFAC is designating CDPC pursuant to E.O 13848 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13848," it added.
Turning to the Russian efforts to interfere with the US elections, the Treasury stated, "The Government of the Russian Federation 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 and its allies and partners globally. Moscow also routinely uses its intelligence services, government-directed proxies, and covert influence tools in these efforts. The Kremlin has increasingly adapted its efforts to hide its involvement by developing a vast ecosystem of Russian proxy websites, fake online personas, and front organizations that give the false appearance of being independent news sources unconnected to the Russian state."
"Today’s designations follow prior OFAC actions that have highlighted and disrupted Russia’s global malign influence campaigns, including RT, RaHDit, RRN, and Doppelgänger influence operations; Kremlin-directed malign influence efforts; interference in U.S. elections; efforts to subvert democracy in Moldova; destabilization activities in Ukraine; and the operation of outlets controlled by Russian intelligence services," it said. "The Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE), founded by OFAC-designated Aleksandr Dugin, directs and subsidizes the creation and publication of deepfakes and circulated disinformation about candidates in the U.S. 2024 general election. CGE personnel work directly with a GRU unit that oversees sabotage, political interference operations, and cyberwarfare targeting the West. Since at least 2024, a GRU officer and CGE affiliate directed CGE Director Valery Mikhaylovich Korovin (Korovin) and other CGE personnel to carry out various influence operations targeting the U.S. 2024 presidential election."
CGE was also accused of having "manipulated a video it used to produce baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate in an effort to sow discord amongst the U.S. electorate."
The sanctions imposed on these entities mean that "all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked."
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. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person."