The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released its Biennial Report on Licensing Activities detailing license applications the agency processed for authorization to export to Iran and Sudan. The Aug. 19 report, which covers OFAC actions from October 2014 to September 2016, is mandated by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 and covers OFAC applications that request permission to export “agricultural commodities, medicine and medical devices” to Iran and Sudan. The report includes the number of applications OFAC received, issued and denied. OFAC requested public comments on the TSRA’s licensing procedures in 2018 and said it received one comment that pointed to the “difficulties in using the financial mechanisms in place for making payments related to transactions” under the TSRA.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a Dominican Republic-based drug trafficking organization, its owner, supporters and several businesses run by the organization’s owner, Treasury said in an Aug. 20 press release. The sanctions include designations under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act against the Peralta Drug Trafficking Organization, Dominican national Cesar Emilio Peralta, and eight more Dominican nationals for supporting the organization and nightclubs owned by Peralta.
Gibraltar's recent release of an Iranian oil tanker that had been seized by British authorities in July for potential sanctions violations came despite requests from the U.S. to continue to detain the ship, according to a statement released Aug. 18 by the United Kingdom territory.
The State Department announced sanctions on the former director general of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services, the agency said in an Aug. 14 press release. Salah Abdalla Mohamed Mohamed Salih was sanctioned for “gross violations of human rights,” including accusations of torture, while he was head of Sudan’s NISS, the press release said. The State Department is also sanctioning Salih’s family members: Awatif Ahmed Seed Ahmed Mohamed and Shima Salah Abdallah Mohamed.
Gibraltar released an Iranian tanker it had seized for possible violations of European Union sanctions, rejecting requests from the U.S. to continue detaining the ship.
The Congressional Research Service released an Aug. 14 report on U.S. sanctions against Russia, including details about the first and second round of sanctions under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act. The report details the sanctions’ targets, purposes and how they can be lifted or waived.
The United Nations Security Council added two people to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions List, the council said in an Aug. 14 press release. Ali Maychou, a Moroccan national and member of al-Qaida, and Bah Ag Moussa, a founding member of Ansar Eddine, a militant Islamist group, were sanctioned. The sanctions imposed asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes on Maychou and Moussa.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is holding its 2019 Fall Symposium on Nov. 12 in Washington, D.C., OFAC said in an Aug. 14 notice. The symposium will feature a “comprehensive review” of U.S. sanctions and OFAC staff will be available to answer questions, the agency said. Registration is open, but the agency has not yet released an agenda. According to the webpage for the event, the agenda will be made available at the event.
The U.S.’s second round of Russian sanctions are expected to have a “minimal” impact, according to a post by Norton Rose Fulbright.
Switzerland renewed sanctions against 18 Venezuelan senior government officials who were sanctioned by the country in March 2018, according to an Aug. 5 notice from Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs and an Aug. 9 post from the European Union Sanctions blog. The renewals took effect Aug. 7.