Official U.S. government sanction announcements and records

U.S. Sanctions IRGC- and GRU-Linked Entities for 2024 Election Interference Using AI Tools

Dec 31, 2024, 03:40 PM

The United States Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions on Iranian and Russian entities for attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The sanctioned organizations include the Cognitive Design Production Center (CDPC), a Tehran-based subsidiary of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, affiliated with Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). According to the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), these entities have, since at least 2023, sought to influence the U.S. electorate through targeted disinformation campaigns. Their efforts involved the use of deepfakes, advanced artificial intelligence tools, and engineering social techniques to stoke socio-political tensions and divide the American people. Bradley Smith, Treasury's Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated that "The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns." The sanctions reflect the U.S. government's commitment to promoting accountability for those who seek to undermine its democratic institutions.