The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the organizations — a subsidiary of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an entity linked to Russia’s GRU — sought to incite socio-political tensions and influence U.S. voters.
U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Bradley Smith stated that the governments of Iran and Russia aim to divide Americans through targeted disinformation campaigns, and the U.S. will remain vigilant in defending its democracy.
The Treasury accused the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE) of spreading disinformation about election candidates and creating deepfakes with GRU support. Additionally, CGE used generative artificial intelligence tools to disseminate fake news through a network of websites masquerading as legitimate news outlets.
The sanctions also targeted the director of CGE. It was noted that Russia, Iran, and China pose a growing threat to U.S. electoral processes, particularly through the use of artificial intelligence to spread misinformation.
