Chinese imports are helping grow sanctioned Iranian oil production to its highest levels in nearly two years, the Wall Street Journal reported April 15. The Journal, citing the International Energy Agency, said China has boosted its Iranian oil purchases to 600,000 barrels a day, which is five times higher than in the first nine months of 2020. The report said Chinese buyers appear to have increased their purchases after the U.S. election of President Joe Biden, who vowed a return to the Iranian nuclear deal, an agreement that had suspended certain sanctions against Iran. A U.S. lawmaker last week asked the State Department to provide information on whether China is violating U.S. sanctions on Iran (see 2104140053).

The State Department officially updated its guidance for the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act to list six previously sanctioned Russian entities with ties to Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors, a notice released April 16 said. The entities were identified as part of a March announcement that issued export controls and sanctions against Russia in response to the poisoning and imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny (see 2103020067).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added one person to its Specially Designated Nationals List and removed two others, an April 13 notice said. The agency added Audias Flores Silva, a regional commander for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, a Mexican drug cartel, OFAC said April 14. The agency also deleted entries for Juan de la Cruz, the director of the Banco Nacional de Cuba, and Jose Gutierrez Reyes, who is listed with an address in Mexico. OFAC did not provide further information on the SDN deletions.

The Australian Sanctions office will hold a virtual information session later this month to provide an overview of its sanctions regimes, permit application processes, the penalties it administers and guidance for complying with Australia’s sanctions, it said April 13. The office will also take questions during the April 29 session, 11 a.m. local time and 9 p.m. EDT.

The State Department issued updated guidance on its implementation of the amended Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act, which requires the agency to report to Congress and potentially sanction foreign people or entities involved in Nord Stream 2, TurkStream and other gas pipeline projects. The April 9 guidance outlines the “range of activities captured under” the legislation and describes the various sanctions exceptions in the bill, including exceptions for activities that “are intended for the safety and care of the crew aboard the vessel” and that are meant to avoid harming the environment. The guidance also explains the bill’s wind-down provision for people and entities that are subject to sanctions.

Several federal agencies are seeking comments to determine whether an interagency risk management guidance supports banks’ compliance with sanctions and anti-money laundering requirements, a joint notice said April 12. The Supervisory Guidance on Model Risk Management, developed by the Federal Reserve board of governors and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, describes the elements of effective bank risk management programs and is meant to help banks better comply with U.S. sanctions requirements, among other regulations. The agencies are asking for feedback on how well the guidance helps banks comply with Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions. “The agencies seek this information to enhance their understanding of bank practices in these areas and determine whether additional explanation or clarification may increase transparency, effectiveness, or efficiency,” said the notice, which was issued by the OCC, the Federal Reserve board of governors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Comments are due June 11.

Several countries aligned with the European Union's extension on two sets of sanctions on Ukrainian individuals and entities for undermining the Eastern European nation's sovereignty. The EU found Montenegro, Albania, Norway, Ukraine and Moldova aligned with its move to extend certain sanctions until March 6, 2022. Montenegro, Albania and Norway aligned with the action to extend until Sept. 15, 2021, the measures on 14 individuals and 13 Ukrainian entities.

The European Council extended until April 13, 2022, its sanctions on Iran for the nation's serious human rights violations, a press release said. The EC also added eight individuals and three entities to the sanctions list for their roles in the violent response to November 2019 protests in Iran, bringing the totals to 89 individuals and four entities. The sanctions consist of a travel ban and an asset freeze along with a ban on exports to Iran of equipment that can be used for human rights violations and equipment for monitoring telecommunications.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 12 issued revised guidance for submitting certain license applications and for the agency’s Sudan sanctions program. In frequently asked questions 97 and 98, OFAC provided guidance for how exporters can submit license applications under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 and what information should be included in those applications. In FAQ 500, OFAC clarified that exporters of humanitarian goods, including agricultural commodities and medicine, don’t need an OFAC license to ship to Sudan. In FAQ 836, the agency detailed which Sudanese sanctions were lifted as a result of the December 2020 U.S. decision to rescind Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism (see 2012170015 and 2101140018). OFAC stressed that the revocation of the sanctions doesn’t affect agency enforcement investigations into violations that took place before the sanctions were revoked.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated the Abid Ali Khan Transnational Criminal Organization for the “unlawful smuggling of foreign nationals,” the agency said. OFAC also sanctioned Pakistani national Abid Ali Khan, the group's leader, and three of his associates: Redi Hussein Khal Gul, Shakeel Karim and Mohammed Choudry Ikram Waraich. The agency announced the sanctions April 7 (see 2104070033).