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On December 31, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against an Iranian organization, two Russian targets, and a Russian national over alleged efforts to influence American voters through disinformation. Treasury said the action targeted the groups’ alleged operations—not compromised voting machines, vote counting, or election administration.
Who did Treasury sanction on December 31?
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three targets under Executive Order 13848, the U.S. authority addressing foreign interference in elections:
- Cognitive Design Production Center (CDPC): Treasury described this as a subordinate organization of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE): A Moscow-based organization founded by Aleksandr Dugin, whom OFAC had already designated.
- Valery Mikhaylovich Korovin: CGE’s director, designated alongside the organization.
The announcement was a sanctions action based on the U.S. government’s stated allegations. The releases establish Treasury’s rationale for the designations; they are not, by themselves, an independent adjudication of every alleged activity. Treasury’s December 31 announcement provides the agency’s account.
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Iranian organization: CDPC
Treasury alleged that CDPC had planned influence operations since at least 2023 on behalf of the IRGC. The department said the plans aimed to incite sociopolitical tensions among the U.S. electorate ahead of the 2024 election.
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Russian organization and director: CGE and Korovin
Treasury alleged that CGE directed and subsidized deepfakes and disinformation about candidates in the 2024 general election. It said CGE personnel worked with a unit of Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU, and that a GRU officer and a CGE affiliate directed Korovin and other CGE personnel.
Treasury also said CGE used generative artificial intelligence tools to create material for a network of websites designed to imitate legitimate news outlets and falsely corroborate the content. According to Treasury, the GRU provided financial support for an AI-support server, website maintenance, and rent for the apartment where the server was housed.
Treasury described that network as containing at least 100 websites. This is the agency’s allegation in its December 31, 2024 release, not an independently established count. The figure does not establish how many people saw the content, whether it changed voters’ views, or whether it affected the election’s outcome.
Which legal authorities did Treasury cite?
Treasury said it designated CDPC, CGE, and Korovin under Executive Order 13848. It additionally cited Executive Order 13694, as amended; Executive Order 14024; and section 224 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 as authorities for designating CGE.
How did the December action differ from September sanctions?
The December designations were separate from two Treasury announcements in September 2024. The earlier actions had different targets and alleged conduct:
| Date | Country and targets | Conduct described by Treasury | Authorities cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4, 2024 | Russia: 10 individuals and two entities | Alleged Russian malign influence targeting the 2024 U.S. presidential election, including disinformation and generative-AI deepfakes. | Not stated in the September 4 Treasury release. |
| September 27, 2024 | Iran: seven individuals | Alleged operations seeking to influence or interfere in the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, including hack-and-leak activity, spear-phishing, and other cyber activity. | Not stated in the September 27 Treasury release. |
| December 31, 2024 | Iran: CDPC; Russia: CGE and Korovin | Alleged plans to stir sociopolitical tension and alleged deepfake and disinformation activity about candidates. | E.O. 13848; for CGE, also E.O. 13694, as amended, E.O. 14024, and section 224 of CAATSA. |
The September actions are documented in Treasury’s September 4 release and September 27 release. The State Department’s December 31 statement summarized the new action as responding to actors seeking to stoke sociopolitical tensions and undermine election institutions.
Did the allegations mean voting or vote counting was compromised?
No. Treasury’s December allegations concerned influence operations and disinformation aimed at the electorate. They do not establish that election infrastructure, voting, or tabulation was compromised.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIn a separate election-security briefing, State Department officials said, “We have not observed any foreign actors seeking to interfere in the conduct of the 2024 elections.” That statement concerned interference in the conduct of the election; it does not erase the separately alleged efforts to influence voters through disinformation.
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Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said: “The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns.” That is the administration’s characterization of the alleged activity.
The announcement records the U.S. government’s sanctions decision and allegations. It does not quantify the operations’ audience or effectiveness, establish that voters were persuaded, or report an impact on election results. Treasury’s release also does not provide an independent verification of the alleged website count.
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