The U.S. has given Syria a new 180-day sanctions waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 to help the war-torn country continue its rebuilding effort, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Nov. 10.
The U.K. on Nov. 7 removed two individuals from its ISIL (Da'esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation delisted Ahmad Hussain Al-Sharaa, the president of Syria and former leader of the al-Nusra Front, and Anas Hasan Khattab, the Syrian minister of interior.
President Donald Trump said Nov. 7 that he’s considering giving Hungary an exemption from sanctions that his administration recently imposed on two major Russian energy companies.
The Treasury Department won’t issue a license to Gunvor Corp. to operate Lukoil’s international energy business in the event of its sale, the agency said on social media last week. “As long as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin continues the senseless killings, the Kremlin’s puppet, Gunvor, will never get a license to operate and profit,” Treasury said.
Australia last week sanctioned four entities and one individual with ties to North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The designations, added to the country’s consolidated sanctions list Nov. 6, target an alleged computer hacker and four hacking groups associated with North Korean intelligence programs.
The U.K. on Nov. 6 added two entries to its domestic counterterrorism sanctions regime. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation sanctioned the New Irish Republican Army and Kieran James Gallagher, who's suspected of "being involved in terrorist activity by providing financial services, or making available funds or economic resources, for the purposes of terrorism." Gallagher was also made subject to director disqualification sanctions, which bar him from acting as a director of a company or taking part in the management of one.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned three people who it said helped to funnel tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah this year, which allowed the terror group to "support its paramilitary forces, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, and resist the Lebanese government’s efforts to assert sovereign control over all Lebanese territory." The designations target Hezbollah member Ossama Jaber, as well as Ja’far Muhammad Qasir and Samer Kasbar, who help manage Hezbollah's finances.
The U.K. on Nov. 3 amended one entry under its Iran sanctions regime. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated the listing for Ali Aliakbar Ansari to add the name "Ali." Ansari was sanctioned for providing economic resources to the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new general license this week that authorizes certain transactions with three aircraft that had been blocked under the Belarus Sanctions Regulations. The license, which has no expiration date, authorizes transactions with:
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of people and entities for their ties to North Korean money laundering, sanctions evasion and information technology worker fraud. The agency said the network has helped North Korea generate revenue for its weapons programs.