The U.N. Security Council, which oversees various U.N. sanctions regimes, needs permanent representation from African countries, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres told the council in remarks this week. “We cannot accept that the world’s pre-eminent peace and security body lacks a permanent voice for a continent of well over a billion people,” Guterres said. Although Africa is “under-represented in global governance structures,” it’s “over-represented in the very challenges these structures are designed to address. Conflicts, emergencies and geopolitical divisions have an outsized impact on African countries.” He added: “The message is clear. There can be no global security without African security.”
Switzerland on Aug. 13 added 27 people to its Belarus sanctions regime and amended the listing of one person, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs announced. The sanctions additions include various Belarusian law enforcement officials responsible for cracking down on activists and protesters. The revised listing is for prosecutor Padkavyrava Iryna Vladimirovna, who was formerly sanctioned under the name Padkavyrava Iryna Uladzimirauna.
The Biden administration is pushing to implement the new Iran sanctions authorities that Congress approved four months ago, a National Security Council spokesperson said Aug. 15.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned people, companies and ships for helping to transport oil and commodities on behalf of the Iranian military and for Sa’id al-Jamal, an Iranian-backed financial facilitator for the Yemen-based Houthis. OFAC said the companies and ships have moved goods to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, helping finance the Houthis’ “reckless targeting” of commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
President Joe Biden extended a national emergency that authorizes certain export control regulations, the White House said this week. Biden renewed the emergency for one year beyond Aug. 17.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new general license this week authorizing certain transactions involving Hong Kong-based VPower Finance Security, a company sanctioned by OFAC in June for its role in a scheme to transport Russian gold and convert it into other currencies. General License 102 authorizes transactions that are “ordinarily incident and necessary to the transportation, delivery, or storage of currency; cash processing services; or maintenance" of ATMS within Hong Kong involving VPower. Those transactions are authorized through 12:01 a.m. EST Nov. 12.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Aug. 12 again extended a general license that continues to delay an exemption that would authorize certain transactions related to Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. General License 5P, which replaced GL 5O, now authorizes certain transactions with PdVSA involving an 8.5% bond on or after Nov. 12. The previous license was set to allow those transactions to occur on or after Aug. 13.
The Biden administration is “reviewing closely” the requirements of new laws authorizing sanctions on Iranian oil and “will ensure the rigorous implementation of their provisions” as they take effect, a State Department official recently told a lawmaker.
The U.K. issued a new general license Aug. 9 authorizing certain payments and "other permitted activities" related to the insolvency proceedings involving East-West United Bank. The bank is based in Luxembourg but is owned by Russian conglomerate Sistema, which decided to close the bank after Western countries imposed sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The license allows any individual or entity to "make, receive, or process any payments, or take any other action, in connection with the Insolvency Proceedings." The license expires Aug. 8, 2029.
The Biden administration has targeted financial networks that support Hezbollah by conducting five rounds of sanctions against 21 people since October 2023, a State Department spokesperson said Aug. 8.