The U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on June 26 added new “licensing grounds” to its Belarus sanctions guidance. The guidance includes a table listing all activities that may be authorized by a license, ranging from import and export transactions; technical assistance services; brokering services to financial services; and more.

The U.S. and U.K. published a joint guidance this week to “provide additional clarity” on what types of humanitarian aid and transactions related to “food security” are authorized under their respective Russian sanctions programs. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said humanitarian groups, nongovernmental organizations, financial institutions and others involved in the agricultural or medical supply trade should use the seven-page document as a “guide when engaging in transactions that may be impacted by sanctions.”

The State Department recently added two people as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The designations apply to Arkan Ahmad 'Abbas al-Matuti and Nawaf Ahmad Alwan al-Rashidi, leaders of the Islamic State group.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned four companies and one person connected to the sanctioned Russian military group PMC Wagner (Wagner Group) and its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. The designations target Central African Republic-based Midas Resources SARLU and Diamville SAU, United Arab Emirates-based Industrial Resources General Trading and Russia-based Limited Liability Company DM, which are involved in “illicit gold dealings” to help fund the Wagner Group. OFAC also sanctioned Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, a Wagner executive who has worked closely with Prigozhin’s entity, Africa Politology, and senior Malian government officials on weapons deals and other activities in Mali.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned two Russian Federal Security Service officers recently indicted by DOJ for assisting the Kremlin’s foreign election interference efforts. The designations target Yegor Sergeyevich Popov and Aleksei Borisovich Sukhodolov.

Canada this week announced a new set of sanctions against Iran, designating seven Iranian judges for their role in “gross and systematic human rights violations.” Canada said the judges are “notorious” for issuing death sentences and prison terms following sham trials based on evidence “gathered under torture.” The designations help align Canada’s Iran sanctions regime with those administered by the U.S., the EU and the U.K., the country said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week published a previously issued general license under its Venezuela Sanctions Regulations. The full text of the license is available in the notice.

Swedbank, whose subsidiary reached a $3.4 million settlement with the Treasury Department this week to resolve allegations it violated U.S. sanctions (see 2306200060), said DOJ, SEC and the Department of Financial Services in New York also are investigating it. The bank is “holding separate discussions with these agencies” and the probes are at different stages, it said June 19. “At this time, the bank cannot assess the extent of potential financial consequences, nor when the investigations will be completed.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Myanmar’s Ministry of Defense and two financial institutions that help facilitate foreign currency exchanges within the country and transactions between the military and foreign markets. OFAC said state-owned Myanma Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank allow the country’s defense ministry to buy arms and “other materials.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control published a previously issued general license under its Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations. The full text of the license is available in the notice.