The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two Cambodian government officials for corruption, the agency said Nov. 10. The designations target Chau Phirun, the director-general of the defense ministry’s material and technical services department, and Tea Vinh, the country’s navy commander.
The U.S. should impose more sanctions against the Daniel Ortega regime in Nicaragua in response to the country’s “illegitimate” presidential election this week, several House Republicans said. The lawmakers -- including Reps. Michael McCaul of Texas, Mark Green of Tennessee, August Pfluger of Texas and Maria Salazar of Florida -- said Ortega’s continued control over the government has led to unlawful jailings and the silencing of opposing voices. “We urge the Biden Administration to rally our like-minded allies and partners and implement further targeted sanctions on regime officials and entities propping up” the regime, they said Nov. 8. A State Department spokesperson said last week the agency will “continue to use the diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to support Nicaraguans’ call for greater freedom as well as their accountability and free and fair elections.” A bipartisan group of senators last month also urged the administration to issue more sanctions (see 2110040002).
The U.S. government and the United Nations, including their contractors, are allowed to conduct transactions related to Syria that involve “stabilization and early recovery-related activities,” the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a Nov. 8 frequently asked question. OFAC also said the U.S. government and its contractors are authorized by a general license “to engage in all transactions in support of their official business” in Syria. The exemption applies to all government employees, including non-governmental organizations and private companies acting as grantees or contractors. The agency stressed that all U.N. or U.S. grantees or contractors must provide a copy of their contract or grant with either the U.N. or the U.S. “before the U.S. person engages in or facilitates any transaction or activity.”
The United Nations Security Council’s sanctions committee adopted its updated guidelines, the UNSC said Nov. 5. The guidelines will help the council “facilitate the conduct of its own work” and provide “useful” guidance to member states on implementing UNSC resolutions.
Kosovo sanctioned seven individuals and one entity on Oct. 27 for their alleged connection with Hezbollah, subjecting them to a travel ban and asset freeze, according to an unofficial translation of decrees. Listed are Ali Reda Hassan al-Banai, Ali Reda al-Qassabi Lari, Abd al-Muayyid al-Banai, Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Nabi Shams, Yahya Muhammed al-Abd-al-Muhsin, Majdi Fai'iz al-Ustadz, Sulaiman al-Banai and AlDar Properties. The sanctions follow those the U.S. imposed Sept. 29 (see 2109290021).
The U.S. should coordinate more closely with European partners on a sanctions framework aimed at Lebanese government officials, Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaders said. In an Oct. 29 letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, senators said the U.S. should “complement” the European Union’s recent sanctions against Lebanon so that the country’s leaders “fully understand the consequences, including the freezing of any assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction, of their behavior.”
President Joe Biden extended a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against people and entities in Sudan, the White House said Oct. 29. Sudan has “made strides in its transition toward democracy.” but the “military takeover of the government and arrest of civilian leaders now threaten those positive gains,” the White House said. The emergency was extended for one year beyond Nov. 3.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 29 updated a Liberia-related vessel on its Specially Designated Nationals List. The entry lists the Oman Pride, a Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker subject to secondary sanctions. The tanker was sanctioned in August for being operated by Bravery Maritime, a company owned by Iranian oil shipper Mahmood Rashid Amur Al Habsi (see 2108130041).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four people and two companies for providing “critical support” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ unmanned aerial vehicle programs, the agency said Oct. 29. The designations target Iran-based Kimia Part Sivan Co. (KIPAS) and Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Co. (Mado) for helping to bolster Iran’s UAV capabilities. OFAC also sanctioned Mohammad Ebrahim Zargar Tehrani, who helps KIPAS source its components from foreign companies; Yousef Aboutalebi, managing director for Mado; IRGC Brig. Gen. Abdollah Mehrabi, who is chairman of Mado; and IRGC Brig. Gen. Saeed Aghajani, who oversees the IRGC’s aerospace and UAV operations.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 28 sanctioned two Lebanese businessmen and a member of Lebanon's parliament whose actions have “contributed to the breakdown of good governance and the rule of law” in the country. The sanctions target businessmen Jihad al-Arab and Dany Khoury as well as lawmaker Jamil Sayyed.