Four House subcommittee chairmen have asked the Biden administration to describe how Iran has spent money that was made available to the country through a recent U.S. sanctions waiver.
Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced a bill March 13 that would impose financial sanctions on people or groups that engage in anti-U.S. "political warfare," such as spreading propaganda, on behalf of a foreign government, especially China’s.
The U.S. on March 14 announced another set of sanctions against Israeli nationals for violence, or threats of violence, against Palestinians in the West Bank. The designations follow President Joe Biden's February executive order authorizing sanctions against people responsible for an increase in violence in the region (see 2402010053).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Diego Macedo Goncalves do Carmo, a money launderer for the “most notorious” crime group in Brazil. OFAC said Goncalves has laundered hundreds of millions of dollars for Brazil-based Primeiro Comando da Capital, which the agency designated in 2021.
A Swiss private banking group agreed to pay about $3.7 million to settle allegations that it violated multiple U.S. sanctions programs, including restrictions against Russia and Cuba. The Office of Foreign Assets Control said EFG International AG, which operates about 40 global subsidiaries, bought and sold securities on behalf of people sanctioned by OFAC.
The U.S. announced new export controls against Nicaragua this week in response to human rights abuses by the country's government and its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The measures, outlined in two final rules effective March 15, will put in place stronger Commerce Department export licensing requirements for Nicaragua and add the country to a list of nations maintained by the State Department that generally don’t receive license approvals for controlled defense items.
The European Council on March 12 extended for another six months, until Sept. 15, sanctions on those undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine. The restrictions include an asset freeze on over 2,100 people and entities. The council also decided not to renew the restrictions on three individuals and dropped nine deceased individuals from the list.
The European Parliament this week voted to approve new rules that could require member states to treat sanctions violations as criminal offenses, leading to harsher penalties and possible prison time (see 2312120059).
The U.K. soon will update export controls on various military and dual-use technologies, which will align the country's rules with changes recently made by the multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group, the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime. The U.K. also will introduce new controls on "specific emerging technologies" that it has "committed to implement" alongside other "like-minded countries," the Department for Business and Trade said March 12.
A U.K. law firm this week warned about sanctions risks tied to property purchases, saying one of its lawyers had to first obtain approval from a U.K. bank before a British-Iranian client could buy property in the U.K.