The U.S. is sanctioning three entities in China and one in Belarus for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programs, including its long-range missile program, the State Department announced April 19. The entities are Granpect Company Limited, Tianjin Creative Source International Trade Company LImited, and Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited, all of China; and Belarus-based Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant.

The Biden administration plans to let the Treasury Department’s general license for transactions with Venezuela’s state-owned energy company expire April 18 because the South American country has not fully met its democratic commitments, the State Department announced April 17.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control said April 16 that it’s issuing a final rule to remove the Zimbabwe sanctions regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations. OFAC said it’s taking the action because President Joe Biden on March 4 terminated the 2003 national emergency declaration for Zimbabwe (see 2403040039). The final rule will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register April 17.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 15 issued new sanctions against 12 entities and 10 people for helping Belarus evade U.S. sanctions and support Russia’s “illegal” invasion of Ukraine.

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations have discussed the possibility of imposing additional sanctions on Iran in response to that country’s drone and missile attack on Israel last week, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said April 15.

China last week announced sanctions against two U.S. defense companies for supporting U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. The designations, imposed under China's anti-foreign sanctions law (see 2310230032), target General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems by freezing their assets in China and placing travel bans on their senior managers, according to an unofficial translation of an April 11 notice from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two companies didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. and the U.K. on April 12 expanded certain restrictions on Russia-related metals, including a new services ban on Russian aluminum, copper and nickel.

The U.S. and the EU last week announced coordinated sanctions against Hamas by targeting people and entities with ties to the terror group.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 12 removed Bosnia and Herzegovina businessman Slobodan Stankovic and his Republika Srpska-based engineering firm, Integral Inzenjering, from the Specially Designated Nationals List. The agency sanctioned Stankovic in 2022 for ties to corruption (see 2210030015). OFAC didn’t release more information about the delistings, but news reports indicate Stankovic died last year.

The Federal Aviation Administration has made some progress in developing an approach to routinely check Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions data and flag sanctioned people and entities across its aircraft registration and dealer systems, the Government Accountability Office said April 9.