The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended its Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations and its Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, the agency said in a notice released Sept. 30. The final rule revises a note that describes how people designated under the WMD regulations for North Korea are identified in OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals List and amends the ITSR to “refine” a general license. The rule is effective on Oct. 1.
OFAC sanction activity
The Office of Foreign Assets Control released regulations Sept. 30 to implement a June executive order (see 2006110028) authorizing sanctions against the International Criminal Court. OFAC released the regulations in a final rule effective Oct. 1 in “abbreviated form” to provide “immediate guidance to the public.” The agency said it plans to soon publish a more “comprehensive set of regulations,” which may include guidance on definitions, general licenses and information on licensing policy.
The U.S. sanctioned 20 people and entities for supporting Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime and issued a new general license and frequently asked question. The sanctions, announced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the State Department Sept. 30, target Assad regime officials, military officials, financiers and their businesses.
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The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 25 issued guidance on sanctions against Hong Kong officials and renewed a general license authorizing certain transactions with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (see 2007310028).
A California electronics company was fined about $475,000 after its former Finnish subsidiary illegally exported test measurement equipment to Iran, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Sept. 24. After Keysight Technologies acquired Anite Finland Oy in 2015, Anite continued to illegally supply equipment to Iranian end-users, hiding the transactions from Keysight, OFAC said. In a settlement agreement, Keysight agreed to implement improved compliance procedures and an annual audit of its compliance program for the next five years.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 15 people and entities for supporting Russian government operative Yevgeniy Prigozhin and the Russian Federal Security Service, OFAC said Sept. 23. The designations are designed to increase pressure on Prigozhin, who runs and finances the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm that was sanctioned by OFAC in 2018.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced new Cuba sanctions and restrictions to limit the use of certain licenses and prohibit a range of activities in Cuba. The sanctions include restrictions on lodging in Cuba, professional research and “public performances.” The changes, outlined in a final rule released Sept. 23, are effective Sept. 24.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five people for helping the Nicolas Maduro regime undermine democracy in Venezuela. The designations target Miguel Antonio Jose Ponente Parra, Guillermo Antonio Luces Osorio, Jose Bernabe Gutierrez Parra, Chaim Jose Bucaran Paraguan and Williams Jose Benavides Rondon, a Sept. 22 news release said. All have helped Maduro manipulate the country’s parliamentary elections by placing control of Venezuela’s opposition parties “in the hands of politicians affiliated” with the Maduro regime, OFAC said. The agency also revised its sanctions entry for Maduro.
The U.S. announced a range of new sanctions and restrictions against Iran, including an executive order, additions to the Commerce Department’s Entity List (see 2009210018) and new sanctions by the Treasury and State Department. The executive order, issued Sept. 21, targets Iran-related arms transfers, while the Treasury and State Department’s sanctions target a range of people and entities associated with Iranian nuclear and arms development.