On May 8, President Trump announced that the US is withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) entered among the P5+1 countries (the US, China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK), the European Union and Iran in July 2015. In our publication, we provide an overview of upcoming changes to US sanctions policy … Continue Reading
In a statement issued 12 January 2018, President Trump announced that his administration was extending the waivers of certain secondary sanctions against Iran originally adopted on implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump stated that the move not to reinstate sanctions against Iran is to allow for … Continue Reading
On 13 October, President Trump announced the results of his administration’s review of the US’ Iran policy, indicating at the same time that he would not “certify” to Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement. Since President Trump took office, he has “certified” to Iran’s compliance twice, so this is the first time that he did … Continue Reading
On 16 October, in the wake of US President Trump’s decision not to certify Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the EU issued a statement saying that “it is committed to the continued full and effective implementation of all parts of the JCPOA”. Furthermore, that “the European Union considers President Trump’s decision not to certify Iran’s … Continue Reading
In a notice to exporters from 22 March, the ECO announced that its Iran list has been withdrawn, owing to the substantial lifting of EU sanctions on Iran under the JCPOA nuclear deal signed in 2015. The list was designed to provide information relating to certain entities, companies and organization in Iran for exporters concerned … Continue Reading
In its annual report, the FCO recognises that the UK played an instrumental role in ensuring that the EU remained united in upholding sanctions on Russia, in promoting sanctions on ISIS and in negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with Iran. According to the report “while there has been good progress … Continue Reading
Iran – Sanctions Measure Advances. Last week, the Senate passed the Iran Sanctions Extension Act (H.R. 6297) by a vote of 99-0, sending the measure to President Obama’s desk. Members of Congress and Administration officials have said they do not believe renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) would violate terms of the nuclear agreement … Continue Reading
The U.S. House of Representatives will reconvene on Monday, 14 November, and the U.S. Senate the following day. TPP – Administration Still Stumping. In a call on 3 November, Ambassador Froman reiterated the Obama Administration is still aiming for a lame-duck congressional vote on the TPP deal, but he did not offer any details on … Continue Reading
JASTA – Bill Sent to President. The House voted by voice vote last Friday to advance the Senate-passed JASTA measure to President Obama’s desk for signature into law. Congress acted on a measure that many believe is long-overdue for the victims of the 9/11 attack just ahead of Sunday’s 15th anniversary of the terrorist attack. … Continue Reading
The U.S. Congress returns to Washington on Tuesday after a six-week recess. On Monday, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) issued a statement on the perceived lack of strong U.S. leadership, setting the stage for potentially-increased Republican oversight this fall: Just as we saw our allies in Europe dissing us over the … Continue Reading
A year after the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, Federica Mogherini, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, issued a statement on the progress to date and the next steps for EU sanctions on Iran. The EU is set to continue to actively support the full … Continue Reading
North Korea – Money Laundering Designation. Last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated North Korea as a jurisdiction of “primary money-laundering concern” under Section 311 of the USA Patriot Act on Wednesday. This will allows Washington to further limit North Korea’s access to the U.S. financial system. Under the new designation, non-U.S. banks … Continue Reading
The restrictive measures impose an asset freeze and travel ban on the listed individuals and entities and also ban exports of any apparatus with the potential to be used for internal repression or telecommunication monitoring. The EU’s sanctions relating to Iranian human rights concerns did not fall under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and so were not part … Continue Reading
Global Steel Crisis Examined. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker co-chaired a two-day hearing last week on the global steel crisis, where U.S. lawmakers called for a better way to prevent foreign suppliers from flooding the U.S. market with subsidized steel. While chairing the first day, Ambassador Froman stated that the … Continue Reading
The EU sanctions relating to human rights concerns in Iran did not fall under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and so were not part of the group of sanctions lifted in January this year. As such, the EU Council have now released a notice informing the 20 individuals that are subject to human … Continue Reading
Saturday, 16 January 2016, marked Implementation Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, UK and US, in conjunction with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran). On Implementation Day, the International … Continue Reading
Adoption Day of the JCPOA occurred on 18 October 2015. On Adoption Day, the US took a number of steps to prepare for the implementation of its JCPOA obligations, including the US State Department’s issuance of waivers of certain statutory sanctions contingent on the JCPOA’s Implementation Day. Further information on Adoption Day can be found … Continue Reading
On 18 October 2015, the Parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) welcomed the Adoption Day of Agreement related to the Iranian nuclear programme, where Iran will now start implementing all of its nuclear-related commitments. Meanwhile, the EU adopted the legislative framework to lift all of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions, which … Continue Reading
On 2 September, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office updated its FAQs on conducting business with Iran further to the adoption of the JCPOA. In particular, the FAQs address the potential impact of the deal for businesses and the support which the UK government will provide to businesses seeking opportunities in Iran. Per a British … Continue Reading
Following the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) (reported in our previous blog post) the EU adopted the first legal acts implementing the sanctions relief, permitting shipment of certain nuclear-related equipment out of Iran and the modification of certain nuclear plants in Iran, along with the activities to enable Iran to satisfy certain commitments in … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, 14 July 2015, the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and the Islamic Republic of Iran agreed to a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to … Continue Reading