The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two people and three entities for “acting as conduits for sanctions evasion schemes” for Hizballah, OFAC said in an April 24 press release. Belgium-based Wael Bazzi and Lebanon-based Hassan Tabaja were sanctioned for acting on behalf of family members who are Hizballah financers, OFAC said, and Belgium-based Voltra Transcor Energy BVBA, Belgium-based OFFISCOOP NV and United Kingdom-based BSQRD Limited were sanctioned for being owned by Bazzi. OFAC also updated an existing item on its Specially Designated Nationals List, adding Energy Engineers Procurement and Construction as an alias for Global Trading Group NV, which is owned by Wael Bazzi’s father, Mohammad Bazzi.

The State Department issued an update to its Cuba Restricted List under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, adding five subentities: “Hotel Santa Isabel” (in Havana), “Hotel El Caney Varadero,” “Melia Marina Varadero Apartamentos” (each in Varadero), “Aerogaviota” (subentity of the Armed Forces Business Enterprises Group (GAESA)) and “Diving Center -- Marina Gaviota” (subentity of the Gaviota tourism group). This is the third update to the list since it was published in November 2017, State said. The second update was published March 9, 2019. This third update is scheduled to be published April 24.

The Trump administration's decision to end exemptions for Iranian oil sanctions will have a “more tangible impact on business” than many of the administration's previous sanctions designations against Iran, according to Johann Strauss, an international trade lawyer at Akin Gump. The move, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on April 22, was aimed at choking off Iran’s oil exports and came about a week after the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced it was designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (see 1904220021).

The Trump administration will no longer grant exemptions for Iranian oil sanctions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters April 22, a move aimed at sharply reducing Iran’s oil exports and tightening pressure on the country to comply with U.S. demands. The current set of exemption waivers expire in early May, the White House said in a statement.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is evading U.S.-imposed sanctions by funneling cash from Venezuelan oil sales through a Russian state energy company, according to an April 18 report from Reuters. The cash flowing through Rosneft is the most recent sign of “the growing dependence of Venezuela’s cash-strapped government on Russia” as a result of U.S. sanctions, according to the report.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a Nicaraguan bank and the son of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, OFAC said in an April 17 press release. Banco Corporativo SA (BanCorp) and Laureano Ortega Murillo are being sanctioned for working to support corruption within the Nicaraguan government, OFAC said.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Central Bank of Venezuela and its director, Iliana Josefa Ruzza Teran, for operating in the country’s financial sector and being used as a “tool of the illegitimate [Nicolas] Maduro regime,” OFAC said in a April 17 press release. Along with the sanctions, OFAC amended five Venezuela-related general licenses and issued two new general licenses that authorize certain dealings, bonds and transactions with Venezuela and several Venezuelan banks, including the Central Bank of Venezuela, according to an enforcement notice.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control published a technical notice for OFAC’s “sanctions lists data files,” according to an April 16 notice. On May 16, OFAC will be expanding the “program” field “found in OFAC’s legacy data files (DEL, PIP, FF and CSV) from 50 to 200 characters," the notice said. Questions should be directed to O_F_A_C@treasury.gov or the tech support hotline at 1-800-540-6322.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned seven individuals and three entities that move money in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, because they were supporting terrorism and serving as “financial facilitators” for ISIS, according to an April 15 press release from OFAC. Six of the individuals and one of the entities are part of the Rawi Network, which, the U.S. says, helped ISIS government officials launder the money from selling Iraqi oil when they controlled territory there, as well as distributing donations to ISIS through an informal money transfer system known as hawala.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four companies and nine ships associated with transporting oil to and from Venezuela in another effort to isolate the Nicolas Maduro regime, OFAC said in an April 12 notice. OFAC said the companies used the oil tankers to deliver oil from Venezuela to Cuba between January and March. Six of the ships were linked to PB Tankers S.P.A., based in Italy. One each was linked to Liberia-based companies Jennifer Navigation Limited, Large Range Limited and Lima Shipping Corporation. The notice includes the maritime identification numbers and names of the ships owned by PB Tankers: Silver Point, Alba Marina, Gold Point, Ice Point, Indian Point and Iron Point. In a statement, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said OFAC will continue to target companies that transport Venezuelan oil to Cuba, as they “are profiting while the Maduro regime pillages natural resources.”