OFAC Sanctions Russian and Iranian Entities over Interference in 2024 U.S. Elections

On December 31, 2024, the United States (U.S) Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on different entities from Russia & Iran under Executive Order (E.O.) 13848.

The sanctioned entities are subordinate organizations of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a Moscow-based affiliate of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and are accused of interfering in the 2024 U.S. elections.

GRU & IRGC aimed to “stoke socio-political tensions & influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 elections”. These entities were sanctioned previously due to involvement in malicious cyber activities, weapons proliferation & other destabilizing actions, stated a press release.

OFAC also said that Russian entities used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to spread fake news and make false allegations about vice presidential candidates.

These sanctions highlight the deepening rift between the U.S., Russia & Iran. However, the designated entities are minor, and their immediate economic impact can be restricted.

President Joe Biden is considering sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, and the incoming administration will pursue a more aggressive approach toward Iran to include a significant increase in economic pressure.

OFAC also imposed sanctions on the Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE) that is founded by Aleksandr Dugin in Moscow. The Treasury Department accused CGE of operating closely with the GRU, a Russian military intelligence service.

“CGE and its personnel used generative AI tools to quickly create disinformation that would be distributed across a massive network of websites designed to imitate legitimate news outlets to create false corroboration between the stories, as well as to obfuscate their Russian origin.”

Department of Treasury

GRU is accused of providing financial and military assistance to CGE to influence the presidential election. CGE maintained a network of approximately 100 websites to manipulate public false opinions & disseminate fake information.

Read Also 

• UK & U.S. Join Forces to Tackle Money Laundering Networks Linked to Russian Oligarchs and Drug Cartels
• Treasury Sanctions Gazprombank and Limiting Russia’s Use of the International Financial System
• UK Sanctions 30 Ships in Russia’s “Shadow Fleet” to Enforce Oil Price Restrictions

CGE also used deepfakes to spread misinformation in the U.S. elections and made a video to generate “baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate.”

According to a Press Release, IRGC has been operating the “Cognitive Design Production Center” since 2023 for illegal activities, Treasury added.

Russia’s embassy in Washington declared that “Russia has not and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the United States.”