The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned China-based Guangzhou Tengyue Chemical Co., which it said is involved in the manufacture and sale of synthetic opioids to Americans. The agency also sanctioned Huang Xiaojun and Huang Zhanpeng, two representatives of Guangzhou Tengyue who were "directly involved in coordinating the shipments" of those illegal drugs and dangerous chemicals to the U.S.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of shipping companies and vessels for smuggling and selling Iranian oil by disguising it as Iraqi oil. The network blends the two oils and markets the product internationally as “solely of Iraqi origin to avoid sanctions,” OFAC said.
Dariel Fernandez, Miami-Dade County’s tax collector, said Sept. 1 that he plans to shut down businesses that illegally engage in commerce with Cuba.
The U.K. on Aug. 28 amended the chemical weapons-related sanctions listing for Andrei Marchenko, a member of the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence Troops of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The updated entry now includes his middle name, Viktorovich.
France, Germany and the U.K. have begun the process to reimpose U.N. sanctions against Iran after accusing the country of failing to meet safeguards around its nuclear program (see 2508150010). The snapback sanctions, if implemented, would reimpose a host of U.N. restrictions that had been paused under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned two people and two entities for helping North Korea deploy information technology workers at foreign companies to generate revenue for its government.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is renewing a general license that authorizes certain imports of Russian non-industrial, unsorted diamonds that were substantially transformed outside of Russia. General License 104A, which replaces 104, authorizes those imports as long as the diamonds were located outside of Russia on March 1, 2024, for diamonds weighing 1 carat or more, and Sept. 1, 2024, if they weigh more than 0.5 carats but less than 1 carat. The license was set to expire Sept. 1 (see 2408230043), but it now expires on that date in 2026.
The U.N. Security Council revised five entries under its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions list. The changes include updated identifying information, location information and other status updated for Ibrahim Ali Abu Bakr Tantoush; Al-Azhar Ben Khalifa Ben Ahmed Rouine; Sulaiman Jassem Sulaiman Ali Abo Ghaith; Shafi Sultan Mohammed al-Ajmi; and Gulmurod Khalimov
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is officially removing its Syrian Sanctions Regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations after President Donald Trump earlier this year ended the national emergency that authorized those sanctions (see 2506300055 and 2507010012). The change is effective Aug. 26.
The U.S. this week sanctioned Greek national Antonios Margaritis, his network of companies and other businesses, and vessels shipping Iranian energy products.