On Tuesday, the United States enacted sanctions against entities in Iran and Russia, alleging their involvement in efforts to disrupt the upcoming U.S. election. The U.S. Treasury Department announced that these entities, which include a subsidiary of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and a group linked to Russia’s military intelligence, were attempting to “incite socio-political discord and sway the U.S. electorate during the 2024 election.”

According to the Treasury, the Cognitive Design Production Center had been planning influence operations since at least 2023, while the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE) disseminated disinformation regarding election candidates and funded the production of deepfake content. The Treasury also noted that CGE altered a video to create “unfounded allegations against a 2024 vice presidential candidate,” although it did not disclose the identity of the candidate in question.

In November, Republican Donald Trump won the presidency, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, marking a significant return four years after his previous exit from the White House. “The governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our electoral processes and institutions, aiming to create divisions among the American populace through focused disinformation efforts,” stated Bradley Smith, the Treasury’s Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.