Sudan urged the U.N. Security Council to lift sanctions on the country, saying current sanctions are worsening the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a June 9 news release said. At the very least, the U.N. should establish “clear, well-identified and measurable benchmarks” for lifting the sanctions, a Sudan representative said. U.N. officials said the country is still marred by violence and sanctions are justified. “It is not to punish Sudan, but to support and achieve sustainable peace,” the Sudan Sanctions Committee chair, Estonian ambassador to the U.N. Sven Jurgenson, said in a report to the Security Council.

The International Criminal Court criticized a U.S. executive order that authorized sanctions against the ICC (see 2006110028), calling the order an “unacceptable attempt to interfere with the rule of law” and saying it feels “profound regret” at the U.S.’s decision. “The ICC stands firmly by its staff and officials,” it said June 11, adding that the sanctions are aimed at “influencing the actions of ICC officials in the context of the Court's independent and objective investigations and impartial judicial proceedings.” President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute O-Gon Kwon called the sanctions “unprecedented.”

The State Department officially updated its Cuba Restricted List with entities that support the Castro regime (see 2006040014), a notice said. Entries on the list are generally blocked from completing U.S. financial transactions and will not be eligible for U.S. export licenses. The changes take effect June 12.

Oil tankers are steering clear of Venezuelan waters as the industry braces for a host of U.S. sanctions on ships operating in the Venezuelan oil sector, according to a June 9 Reuters report. Reuters previously reported the U.S. is preparing sanctions on dozens of foreign oil tankers for doing business with Venezuela, which could include designations on at least 40 ships. The move could lead to sharp increases in tanker rates and disrupt the global shipping industry, Reuters said.

The International Chamber of Commerce recently issued an addendum to its guidance on the use of sanctions clauses, urging banks to refrain from using or accepting sanctions clauses that impose extra restrictions on a deal. Broad sanctions clauses “defeat the independence principle in letters of credit and demand guarantees, the exclusively documentary nature of the instrument, and create uncertainty,” the ICC said in the May addendum.

The U.S. officially designated the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and its Shanghai-based subsidiary, E-Sail Shipping Company Ltd., a June 8 State Department news release said. State in December announced its intention to sanction both IRISL and E-Sail (see 1912120024), but the agency said it postponed those designations for six months to allow exporters of humanitarian goods to find alternative shipping methods when exporting to Iran. “Now that this generous delay has come to an end, those in the commercial and maritime industries doing business with Iran must use carriers or shipping methods other than IRISL or E-Sail,” State said.

The United Nations Security Council granted a one-year sanctions exemption to UNICEF for humanitarian shipments to North Korea, a June 3 Security Council letter said. The exemption will allow shipments “essential” for UNICEF’s programs in North Korea, including sanitation products, water and shipments related to “health” and “nutrition.” The exemption also authorizes shipments related to “the effective treatment of individuals admitted to hospitals.” The UNSC said it approved an extended one-year time frame for the exemption because of “challenges related to the manufacturing and shipment of goods” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The State Department designated Gustavo Adolfo Alejos Cambara, formerly chief of staff to then-Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom, for corruption, the agency said June 8. The agency also sanctioned family members Beatriz Jansa Bianchi, his wife; his two sons, Jose Javier Alejos Jansa and Gustavo Andres Alejos Jansa; and his minor daughter.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control updated more than 100 Iran-related sanctions entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a June 8 notice. OFAC did not immediately provide more information about the changes.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended 335 entries under its Syria sanctions regime, according to a June 4 notice. The amendments update identifying information for the entries, which are still subject to asset freezes, the U.K. said.