The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 30 deleted a range of entries designated under its counter-narcotics, Cuba and Kingpin Act sanctions. The now-deleted entries are for people and entities located in Colombia, Panama and Mexico. OFAC didn’t immediately provide more information.
The U.S. began its eighth round of talks this week about rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but it’s still soon to tell whether Iran has returned with a “more constructive approach to this round,” a State Department spokesperson said Dec. 28. The State Department earlier this month said both sides remained far apart on a range of sanctions issues (see 2112200009). “At a minimum, any progress, we believe, is falling short of Iran’s accelerating nuclear steps and is far too slow,” the spokesperson said. “As we’ve said before, this can’t continue or it will soon be too late to return to mutual compliance with the JCPOA, something we have sincerely and steadfastly sought to do for a number of months now.”
The U.S. Navy last week seized ammunition and weapons on board a vessel likely traveling from Iran to Yemen, the State Department said. The shipment likely violated a U.N. arms embargo because it was on a ship traveling a route “historically used to illegally smuggle weapons” to the Houthis in Yemen, the agency said, noting Iran’s support for the Houthis and other armed groups in the region “threatens international and regional security.” The U.S. said it has seized “dozens” of missiles, thousands of assault rifles and hundreds of machine guns and grenade launchers on similar vessels this year.
The U.N. Security Council Dec. 21 added two new entries to its sanctions list. The UNSC added Sanaullah Ghafari to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions List and sanctioned Ali Darassa under the Central African Republic. Ghafari is the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan group, the UNSC said, and Darassa leads the CAR-based militia group Unite pour la Paix en Centrafrique (Union for Peace in the CAR). Both were also sanctioned by the United Kingdom (see 2112220024).
The Treasury Department’s new “dangerous” humanitarian-related general licenses for Afghanistan lack oversight and could empower the Taliban, said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul said the licenses are “broad sanctions carveouts” that could “reward, legitimize and enable the same Taliban that took power by force and has shown no interest in abiding by international norms.”
The Treasury Department amended the Weapons of Mass Destruction Trade Control Regulations with several technical changes, the agency said in a Federal Register notice. The changes, effective Dec. 27, removed appendix 1 from the regulations, which lists people who contribute to foreign countries’ efforts to develop and stockpile weapons of mass destruction. OFAC also amended certain definitions to reflect the removal of appendix I and made other “technical edits.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 22 sanctioned three people and two entities for operating a Brazil-based support network for al-Qaida. The designations target Haytham Ahmad Shukri Ahmad Al-Maghrabi, Mohamed Sherif Mohamed Mohamed Awadd, Ahmad Al-Khatib and two companies: Home Elegance Comercio de Moveis Eireli and Enterprise Comercio de Moveis e Intermediacao de Negocios Eireli.
Australia’s new Magnitsky-style sanctions laws took effect Dec. 21, allowing the country to craft specific sanctions against human rights abusers, corrupt actors and “significant cyber incidents,” the country’s foreign affairs and trade department said this week. Its parliament earlier this month passed the rules, which had been under review for several years (see 2112020021).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 21 removed one person listed under two entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List. The agency deleted the entry for Rodrick Grech, also known as Roderick Grech, a Malta national who was originally sanctioned in 2018 for ties to illegal fuel smuggling between Libya and Europe. OFAC didn’t release more information.
The U.S. made “modest progress” during last week's talks on the Iranian nuclear deal, but the path toward all parties rejoining the deal or a similar one remains steep, the State Department said (see 2112100026). While negotiators now have a “common understanding of what the text will be that will serve as the basis for negotiations on nuclear issues,” the U.S. and Iran are still far apart on issues involving sanctions, a senior State Department official said Dec. 17.