The Trump Administration issued an Executive Order (EO) on October 14, 2019, that authorized US Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and US Department of State to impose sanctions on various Turkish individuals and entities involved in the conflict in Northern Syria. The same day that the EO was issued, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three individuals and two entities as … Continue Reading
Sudan Sanctions In 1997, the US imposed a comprehensive trade and investment embargo against Sudan. In January 2017, i.e., in the closing days of the Obama Administration, President Obama announced a six-month suspension of US economic sanctions, citing ongoing dialogue with the Sudanese government and the government’s progress in achieving milestones agreed upon in those negotiations. Specifically, the Obama Administration … Continue Reading
On 24 April 2017, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 271 persons working in the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center to be added to the agency’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List. In its press release announcing the action, OFAC attributed the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research … Continue Reading
On 13 February, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published the names of two individuals and 13 entities designated for blocking sanction under the Kingpin Act for involvement in narcotics trafficking. These included Venezuelan Vice President Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah, and his business partner Samark Jose Lopez Bello, and a network of US and … Continue Reading
In response to recent ballistic missile testing activities by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Trump administration, on 3 February 2017, issued its first economic sanctions, adding 13 individuals and 12 entities to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons. The designations were made under counter-proliferation and … Continue Reading
On Tuesday, January 17, 2017, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) will publish in the Federal Register a far-reaching amendment to its Sudanese Sanctions Regulations (SSR), 31 CFR Part 538. While styled as a “general license,” the amendment will have the practical effect of terminating the embargo of Sudan that the US … 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
EU renews its sanctions on Burma/Myanmar until 30 April 2017. These measures impose an embargo on providing Burma/Myanmar with arms and goods that might be used for internal repression. Council Decision 2016/627 amends Decision 2013/184/CFSP. In the US, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on 17 May 2016 amendments to the Burmese Sanctions Regulations as well as corresponding … Continue Reading
Following the recent, closely watched elections in Belarus, in which President Alexander Lukashenko was elected to his fifth term in office, both the US and EU adopted measures suspending some economic sanctions against the country. On 30 October 2015, the Council published Council Implementing Regulation 2015/1948 which suspends financial sanctions, including asset freezes, imposed against … Continue Reading
