The Council of the European Union sanctioned six people and three entities from Iran for transferring unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine, the council announced May 31. The entities are Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, a "central entity in the command chain of Iran's armed forces"; Kavan Electronics Behrad, an Iran-based UAV procurement firm; and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, which delivers Iranian UAVs. The council also listed Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani, along with a commander of the IRGC Qods Force and the head of the sanctioned Iranian Aviations Industries Organization. Sanctioned parties are subject to an asset freeze and travel ban.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned four Iranian entities and an Iranian aviation industry executive for their ties to the country’s unmanned aerial vehicle program, which has made drones for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The Treasury Department this week released its 2024 risk assessment for the non-fungible token industry, outlining how NFTs and their platforms can be used to evade sanctions, fund terrorism, finance weapons proliferation and more.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned two companies in the Central African Republic linked to the Wagner Group, the designated private Russian military organization. The sanctions target Mining Industries SARLU and Logistique Economique Etrangere SARLU for “enabling Wagner Group security operations and Wagner Group-linked illicit mining endeavors” in the CAR, OFAC said.
Congress, federal agencies and state bar associations should work together on new regulations to ensure U.S. lawyers aren't enabling Russia-related sanctions evasion, Stanford Law School lecturer Erik Jensen and a host of law students recommended in a recent report.
Japan sanctioned one Russian national, nine Russian entities and two Cypriot entities last week for their roles in aiding Russia's procurement of arms from North Korea, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced, according to an unofficial translation.
Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo met with researchers, non-governmental organizations and others in Kyiv, Ukraine, this week to discuss Russia sanctions, trade restrictions and other issues. Treasury said they talked about “unlocking the value of immobilized Russia sovereign assets, Russia’s transition to a wartime economy, and restricting Russia’s revenue and disrupting Russian procurement of priority goods.”
The Biden administration doesn't support congressional calls to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) for threatening to issue arrest warrants against two senior Israeli officials, a White House official said May 28.
The Council of the European Union on May 28 renewed for another year its sanctions measures on Syria, also extending the humanitarian exemption in the restrictions regime. The sanctions now run until June 1, 2025, and cover 316 people and 86 entities. The humanitarian exemption was originally introduced in February 2023, following an earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. The council also removed five deceased people and "one other individual" from the sanctions list.
The Council of the European Union on May 27 sanctioned two people and one entity involved in Russian war propaganda, including “propaganda actions targeted at civil society in the EU and its neighbouring countries.” The designations target media outlet Voice of Europe; Artem Marchevskyi, a "concealed head” of Voice of Europe; and Viktor Medvedchuk, a political figure who has “promoted policies and actions intended to erode [the] credibility and legitimacy” of Ukraine.