America imposes sanctions on Russia and Iran over accusations of election interference Election news

The United States says companies affiliated with the Iranian and Russian governments worked to sow division during the 2024 elections.

The United States announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia and Iran, citing alleged efforts to do so He intervenes In its elections in 2024.

In a statement The US Treasury Department said on Tuesday that a company affiliated with Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) and a company affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) worked on… Incising internal tensions.

“The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Bradley Smith, acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in the statement.

He added, “The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who might undermine our democracy.”

Ultimately, President-elect Donald Trump emerged victorious in the November presidential election. His right-wing party RepublicansHe also won control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together make up the US Congress.

The Treasury Department statement alleges that the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise funded the creation of misleading images and helped spread “unsubstantiated accusations related to a 2024 vice presidential candidate” without providing further details.

Allegations of election interference Countries like Russia have been a political flashpoint for years, although critics contend that their influence has been exaggerated.

Iranian and Russian officials have not yet responded to Tuesday’s allegations, but they have previously denied similar accusations.

“Today’s sanctions build on many previous U.S. government actions that disrupted Iran’s attempts to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, Russia’s global malign influence campaigns, and illicit cyber activities,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press release on Tuesday.

The statement said that the CGE and its director Valery Mikhailovich Korovin were included in the sanctions list along with the Cognitive Design Production Center (CPDC), which it says is affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Such sanctions would freeze any US assets the groups and individuals may have, and prevent US-based entities from doing business with them.