The Office of Foreign Assets Control is updating the scope of an Iran-related general license to limit the computing power threshold for laptops, tablets and other personal computing devices that can be exported or reexported to Iran. The agency also revised its Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations to make “additional conforming changes.”
Lithuania's customs agency fined an unnamed Lithuanian company over $357,000 for buying and importing goods from sanctioned Russian companies "Nizhnekamsktekhuglerod" and "Nizhnekamskneftekhim," according to an unofficial translation. The former is a technology company, the latter makes synthetic rubber and plastics.
A recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling could have implications for how certain sanctions-related payment issues are treated under force majeure clauses in contracts.
A bipartisan group of five House members led by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., introduced a bill that would expand the list of Belarusian authorities who could face U.S. sanctions, Smith’s office announced May 15.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Ali Yagoub Gibril and Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, two military officers with the Rapid Support Forces, a warring group that has contributed to conflict in Sudan. OFAC designated Gibril for being the RSF Central Darfur commander and Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed for being an RSF major general and the group’s head of operations. The agency said RSF began attacks in North Darfur last month, which have “caused dozens of civilian casualties, including children.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned three Nicaragua-based entities for their ties to Russia or for earning revenue for President Daniel Ortega’s regime. The designations target the Training Center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (RTC) in Managua, a subdivision of the Russian government’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as Compania Minera Internacional, Sociedad Anonima (COMINTSA) and Capital Mining Investment Nicaragua, Sociedad Anonima (Capital Mining), gold companies that generate revenue for the government.
The price cap on Russian oil has so far failed to stop Moscow from earning revenue for its war against Ukraine, witnesses told the U.K. Parliament this week. While one witness said the U.K. should consider placing new restrictions on certain energy purchases from companies that are still buying Russian oil, another said that may be too complicated for businesses to comply with.
The U.K. amended its definitions for "extraordinary situations and extraordinary expenses" under the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation's general sanctions guidance related to the agency's approach to licensing grounds.
The European Council on May 14 broadened the scope of its sanctions framework on Iran due to that nation's support for Russia's war in Ukraine. The council expanded the bloc's ability to impose sanctions on not only unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) but "missiles too." The EU can now target individuals and entities "supplying, selling or otherwise being involved in transferring Iran's missiles and UAVs" in support of the war in Ukraine or used by armed groups that undermine security in the Middle East and Red Sea region. The council also barred the export of components used in the "development and production of UAVs from the EU to Iran."
A bipartisan group of 11 senators issued a joint statement May 14 criticizing the Georgian parliament’s passage of a "Russian-style foreign agents bill" and reiterating their warning that Congress may respond with sanctions and other measures.