The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released a report Feb. 19 on licensing activities for certain exports to Iran and Sudan during the second quarter of fiscal year 2019. The report provides licensing statistics for exports of agricultural goods, medicine and medical devices to both countries as required by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company and designated its president for supporting the Nicolas Maduro-led regime in Venezuela, Treasury said Feb. 18. OFAC also issued a new general license and two new frequently asked questions that address the “significance” of the designations and clarifies the wind-down period.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 10-14 in case you missed them.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed more than 30 terrorism-related entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a Feb. 12 notice. The entries include entities relating to Al-Barakat, which was sanctioned by OFAC in 2001. Treasury did not immediately release more information.
North Korea continued to violate United Nations Security Council sanctions in 2019 with the help of China, according to a Feb. 10 Reuters report. North Korea continued improving its missile programs, imported refined petroleum and exported about $370 million worth of coal using Chinese barges, Reuters said, referencing a not-yet-released UN report expected to be issued next month. Most of North Korea’s illegal coal exports were conducted through ship-to-ship transfers from North Korean vessels to Chinese barges, the report said, which delivered the coal directly to ports in China’s Hangzhou Bay and facilities along the Yangtze River.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 3-7 in case you missed them.
The United Nations Security Council Committee added Seka Baluku to its Democratic Republic of Congo sanctions list, according to a Feb. 6 press release. The UNSC said Baluku is the leader of the Allied Democratic Forces, a Uganda-based terrorist organization. The United Kingdom updated its sanctions list with the UNSC addition. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned six members of the Allied Democratic Forces in December (see 1912100044) and sanctioned the group in 2014.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added Venezuela’s state-owned airline and its fleet of more than 35 aircrafts to its Specially Designated Nationals List, Treasury said in a Feb. 7 press release. The airline, Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronáuticas y Servicios Aereos, S.A., and its fleet have been sanctioned since August as part of a U.S. executive order to block Venezuelan government property, Treasury said. Treasury added the airline and its fleet to the SDN list to “ensure strengthened compliance with U.S. sanctions.”
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued regulations to implement its Mali sanctions regime, OFAC said in Feb. 6 notices on its website and in the Federal Register. The regulations, which take effect Feb. 7, will be supplemented with a “more comprehensive set of regulations,” which may include more guidance, general licenses and licensing policy information, OFAC said. The regulations stem from a July executive order that gave the Treasury and State departments authority to block property belonging to people involved in terrorist activities in Mali (see 1907290014).
The United Nations Security Council Committee added one entry to its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al‑Qaida Sanctions List, according to a Feb. 4 notice. The UN added Mali resident Amadou Koufa, founder of the West African terrorist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM). The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a Feb. 5 notice reflecting the change. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated JNIM in 2018 and has sanctioned officials working for the group (see 1907160030).