The Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 29 sanctioned two people and four organizations for supporting Russia's "global malign influence operations and election interference activities." The sanctions target Natalya Valeryevna Burlinova, founder and president of an entity that relies on state funding and has ties to Russian intelligence services. The agency also designated Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) "co-optee," who has worked to "promulgate the Kremlin’s disinformation and malign influence agenda," OFAC said. Also sanctioned are the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, Ionov Transkontinental, STOP-Imperialism and the Center for Support and Development of Public Initiative Creative Diplomacy.
Ben Perkins
Ben Perkins, Assistant Editor, is a reporter with International Trade Today and its sister publications, Trade Law Daily and Export Compliance Daily, where he covers sanctions, court rulings, and other international trade issues. He previously worked as a trade analyst for a Washington D.C. advisory firm. Ben holds a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire and an M.A. in International Relations from American University. Ben joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2022.
MidFirst Bank violated the U.S. Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations when it processed payments for two sanctioned people after they were designated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC said in a July 21 enforcement notice. OFAC said the bank, headquartered in Oklahoma City, maintained accounts for the people and processed 34 of their payments in the two weeks after they were added to the Specially Designated Nationals List.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control reached a settlement with American Express National Bank for $430,500 over apparent violations of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations, according to a July 15 OFAC notice. Over the course of two months, OFAC said, Amex processed transactions for a card holder who was designated in connection with illegal drug distribution and money laundering.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued one new and three updated general licenses related to Russia alongside an update to OFAC's Frequently Asked Questions and a Food Security Fact Sheet, according to a July 14 notice.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated Obed Christian Sepulveda Portillo for the trafficking of high-caliber firearms from the U.S. to Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most powerful drug organizations, according to a July 11 news release.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned an international network that used a network of front companies to cover the delivery and sale of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and petrochemical products from Iranian companies to East Asia, according to a July 6 press release. Two individuals, 13 entities, and two vessels were added to the Specially Designated Nationals list, according to OFAC's July 6 notice. The action follows an earlier action by OFAC on June 16, which designated members of an international sanctions-evasion network supporting Iranian petrochemical sales (see 2206160030). “While the U.S. is committed to achieving an agreement with Iran that seeks a mutual return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, we will continue to use all our authorities to enforce sanctions on the sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals,” Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said.
Global supply chain issues could be alleviated with better data sharing and processing, experts said during a June 29 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness. But to overcome trust issues among companies reluctant to share data, some government intervention may be necessary, they said.
Export controls may not stop all illegal shipments, but that doesn’t mean the U.S. and others should not work to improve cooperation and coordination, experts agreed during a June 27 Brookings Institution panel.
The U.S. on June 2 issued another round of Russia sanctions, targeting additional Russian oligarchs and elites close to Russia President Vladimir Putin. The sanctions also targeted Russian government officials and business leaders, the luxury property of elites, and luxury asset management and service companies key to Russian attempts to evade sanctions.
The departments of state, the treasury, commerce and labor issued an advisory concerning U.S. Businesses in Sudan, to highlight the growing risks to American interests conducting business in the country, especially with Sudanese state-owned enterprises. Recent actions undertaken by the Sudanese government and security forces could adversely impact U.S. businesses and their operations in the country and the region, according to the advisory.