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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →On December 31, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against an Iranian organization and a Russian organization and its director, alleging they planned or supported disinformation operations aimed at American voters ahead of the 2024 election. The designations addressed alleged influence activity—not a finding that voting, vote counting, or election administration had been compromised.
Who Treasury sanctioned on December 31
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three targets:
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- Cognitive Design Production Center (CDPC): Treasury described it 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 previously designated.
- Valery Mikhaylovich Korovin: CGE’s director.
Treasury’s announcement and account of the alleged conduct are set out in its December 31, 2024 release. The release documents the government’s stated basis for the designations; it is not an independent adjudication of every allegation.
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What Treasury alleged the groups did
Iran’s CDPC
Treasury alleged that CDPC had planned influence operations on behalf of the IRGC since at least 2023. It said the operations were intended to incite sociopolitical tensions among the U.S. electorate ahead of the 2024 election.
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Russia’s CGE, Korovin and alleged GRU support
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.
According to Treasury, CGE used generative artificial intelligence tools to create content and distributed it through websites designed to imitate legitimate news outlets, creating false corroboration for the material. Treasury said the GRU provided financial support for an AI-support server, maintenance of a network of at least 100 websites, and rent for the apartment where the server was housed. That website count is Treasury’s allegation in its December 31 release; it is not an independently established count and does not show how many people saw or believed the content.
Legal authorities Treasury cited
Treasury said it acted under Executive Order 13848, the U.S. authority addressing foreign interference in U.S. elections. It also cited Executive Order 13694, as amended; Executive Order 14024; and section 224 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 as additional authorities for designating CGE. The announcement therefore cited a common election-related authority for the action and additional authorities specifically for CGE.
How the December action differed from September designations
The December 31 designations followed two separate Treasury announcements in September 2024. Those actions involved different targets and allegations; they should not be treated as part of the December designation.
| Date | Targets named in the announcement | Conduct Treasury described | Authorities cited in the release |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4, 2024 | Ten individuals and two entities, in a response to Russian malign influence efforts. | Alleged disinformation and generative-AI deepfake activity targeting the 2024 U.S. presidential election. | Not stated in the cited release summary. See Treasury’s September 4 release. |
| September 27, 2024 | Seven individuals, in a coordinated response to Iranian operations. | Alleged hack-and-leak, spear-phishing and other cyber activity seeking to influence or interfere in the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections. | Not stated in the cited release summary. See Treasury’s September 27 release. |
| December 31, 2024 | Iran’s CDPC; Russia’s CGE and its director, Korovin. | Alleged efforts to stoke sociopolitical tensions and spread disinformation about candidates, including through AI-generated content and imitation news sites. | Executive Order 13848; for CGE, also Executive Orders 13694, as amended, and 14024, plus section 224 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017. See Treasury’s December 31 release. |
The State Department’s September 4, 2024 election-security briefing separately stated: “We have not observed any foreign actors seeking to interfere in the conduct of the 2024 elections.” That statement concerns interference in the conduct of the election. It does not erase the separate allegations that foreign actors sought to influence voters through disinformation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the announcement does—and does not—establish
Treasury framed the designations as a response to alleged efforts to target U.S. election processes and institutions and divide Americans. 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.”
- The announcement establishes that Treasury designated the named targets and publicly stated its reasons for doing so.
- It does not establish that ballots, voting systems, vote counting, or election administration were compromised.
- The cited releases do not quantify the alleged operations’ reach or effectiveness, or establish that they changed voter behavior or election outcomes.
Sanctions-list entries can change over time. This article describes the historical announcement of December 31, 2024, rather than asserting the targets’ current OFAC status.
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