The United States has taken measures to protect U.S. campaign and government officials from Iranian attempts to interfere in U.S. elections. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated seven individuals as part of a coordinated response to Iran's operations aimed at influencing the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections.
Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith stated, "The U.S. government continues to closely monitor efforts by malicious actors to influence or interfere in the integrity of our elections." He added that the Treasury remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to undermine U.S. institutions.
In the summer of 2024, it was identified that Iran had been attempting to stoke discord and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions through social engineering and other efforts targeting individuals with access to presidential campaigns. These activities included thefts and disclosures intended to influence the election process.
Iran-based hackers, identified as "APT 42" and "Mint Sandstorm" by private security firms, have reportedly increased their targeting of the 2024 U.S. presidential election since May 2024.
Masoud Jalili, along with other members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), compromised several accounts related to a 2024 presidential campaign and leaked stolen data for influencing purposes. Jalili is also responsible for malicious cyber operations targeting a former U.S. government official in 2022.
OFAC designated Jalili pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13848 for being controlled by or acting on behalf of the IRGC. Additionally, an indictment charging Jalili and two IRGC co-conspirators has been unsealed by the Department of Justice, which also announced a reward offer up to $10 million for information on Jalili and his associates.
For interference in the 2020 presidential election, OFAC has designated six employees and executives of Emennet Pasargad, an Iranian cybersecurity company formerly known as Net Peygard Samavat Company. Between August and November 2020, Emennet Pasargad led an operation aimed at intimidating voters and sowing discord during the election period.
Emennet Pasargad personnel obtained or attempted to obtain voter information from state election websites, sent threatening emails, and disseminated disinformation about election security.
In February 2019, OFAC had already designated Emennet Pasargad pursuant to E.O. 13606 for providing support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization through malicious cyber campaigns.
Among those designated are Ali Mahdavian, Fatemeh Sadeghi, Elaheh Yazdi, Sayyed Mehdi Rahimi Hajjiabadi, Mohammad Hosein Abdolrahimi, and Rahmatollah Askarizadeh—all employees of Emennet Pasargad—pursuant to E.O. 13848 for acting on behalf of Emennet Pasargad.
As a result of these actions, all property and interests in property belonging to these individuals within U.S jurisdiction are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Transactions involving these persons are generally prohibited unless authorized by OFAC.
Financial institutions engaging with sanctioned individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or enforcement actions.
The power behind OFAC sanctions is not only its ability to designate but also its willingness to remove persons from sanction lists when appropriate changes in behavior occur.
