US May Expel Russian Diplomats, Impose New Sanctions: Media
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The US administration has completed an intelligence review of Russia’s alleged election interference and the SolarWinds hack and may soon announce retaliatory actions, Bloomberg reported, citing "three people familiar with the matter."
"Possible moves could involve sanctions and the expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in the US under diplomatic cover, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. Senior officials were expected to meet Wednesday to discuss what steps to take," Bloomberg wrote.
According to the media outlet, US President Joe Biden "and his top aides will now have to weigh how hard to punish Russia while also seeking its help on priorities such as rejoining the Iran nuclear accord, restarting arms control talks and combating climate change", TASS reported.
The US intelligence community assumes that "an advanced persistent threat actor, likely of Russian origin, was responsible" for the SolarWinds hack, according to US Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger.
Russia’s authorities have repeatedly rejected Washington’s allegations about Moscow’s election interference and involvement in the cyber attack.
