The United Kingdom passed sanctions regulations related to immigration, overseas territories and Lebanon, an Oct. 27 EU Sanctions blog post said. The immigration-related regulations contain provisions on sanctioned people subject to a travel ban but “lawfully in the U.K.,” the post said. The other regulations affect licenses and authorizations, including the implementation of Lebanese sanctions, in U.K. overseas territories.

The European Union renewed its sanctions against the Republic of Guinea for one year, until Oct. 27, 2021, the EU said Oct. 26. The regime places asset freezes on five people.

Sixteen African countries urged the lifting of all international sanctions against Zimbabwe, saying it is suffering from a range of “socio-economic challenges” caused by the restrictions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanctions should be “unconditionally lifted for Zimbabwe to improve the livelihoods of her citizens, and develop unhindered,” Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, president of Mozambique and the chair of the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, said in an Oct. 24 news release. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control did not comment.

China said it will sanction three U.S. aerospace and defense companies for their arms sales to Taiwan, saying the exports “seriously undermine” China’s national security. The sanctions will target Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Raytheon for their involvement in $1.8 billion worth of arms sales to Taiwan, which was announced by the State Department Oct. 21 (see 2010220020). A China Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Oct. 26 the country will also sanction “U.S. individuals and entities who played an egregious role in the process.” China did not say what the sanctions will entail.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 26 updated 10 frequently asked questions and published one new FAQ to provide guidance on its most recent update to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (see 2010230024). OFAC’s new FAQ outlines which general licenses the change affects and clarifies how the restrictions apply to entities on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List. The agency also clarified that effective Nov. 26, people subject to U.S. jurisdiction will no longer be able to process remittances to or from Cuba “through [Financiera Cimex, called] FINCIMEX or any other entity or subentity on the [Cuba Restricted List].”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned eight people, 11 entities and two vessels for operating in Iran’s oil sector and supporting the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, OFAC said Oct. 26. OFAC also issued an updated Iran-related general license and amended six frequently asked questions.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a range of sanctions Oct. 22, designating Hizballah officials, the Iranian ambassador to Iraq and various Iranian entities for interfering in U.S. elections.

The European Union sanctioned two people and one entity for a 2015 cyberattack against the German Federal Parliament, the E Council said Oct. 22. The designations target Russian intelligence officers Dmitry Sergeyevich Badin, Igor Olegovich Kostyukov and the “85th Main Centre for Special Services of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” The United Kingdom applauded the move and will join the EU in enforcing the sanctions, it said Oct. 22.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations to further deny the Cuban government’s access to remittance-related funds, OFAC said in a final rule released Oct. 23. The rule amends the scope of certain general licenses to remove “remittance-related general authorizations” involving entities on the Cuba Restricted List, OFAC said. The change will limit those agencies’ access to remittances, “including in their role as intermediaries or in their receipt of fees or commissions from processing remittance transactions.” The rule will take effect Nov. 27. The changes follow a set of new Cuba sanctions and restrictions announced by OFAC in September that created the Cuba Restricted List, placing restrictions on lodging, research and other activities (see 2009230029).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a Russian government research institution behind “destructive malware” that targets industrial safety systems, OFAC said Oct. 23. The designation targeted the State Research Center of the Russian Federation FGUP Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics, which was responsible for building tools that led to a Triton malware attack, OFAC said. The institution was sanctioned under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.