US imposes sanctions on Iran, Russia

The United States (US) imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia, on charges of attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. election, Reuters reported.

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement issued on Tuesday the entities - a subsidiary of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an organization affiliated with Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) - aimed to “stoke socio-political tensions and influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 U.S. election”.

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

“The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy.”

Russia’s embassy in Washington said in a statement to Reuters: “Russia has not and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the United States.”

“As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed, we respect the will of the American people. All insinuations about ‘Russian machinations’ are malicious slander, invented for use in the internal political struggles in the United States,” the spokesperson added.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Republican Donald Trump was elected president in November, beating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House.