The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of people and companies that it said are helping Iran move money, sell oil and evade international sanctions. The designations target financial facilitators in Iran, as well as more than a dozen people and companies based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has removed certain export restrictions from aircraft belonging to Belavia, the state-owned flagship carrier of Belarus, as part of sanctions relief that the Trump administration has offered to the country in recent days.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week issued a reminder to industry to file annual reports on blocked property by Sept. 30. Holders of blocked property must provide the agency "with a comprehensive list of all blocked property held as of June 30 of the current year," it said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control's new general license for Belavia Belarusian Airlines (see 2509110029), the state-owned flagship carrier of Belarus, was issued last week because Belarusian authorities recently released dozens of political prisoners, "demonstrating their desire to re-engage with the West," a State Department spokesperson said in an email Sept. 12.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned Gebreil Ibrahim Mohamed Fediel and the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade for their ties both to Sudan’s civil war and Iran.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new general license this week to authorize certain transactions with Belavia Belarusian Airlines, the state-owned flagship carrier of Belarus, which was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023 (see 2308090025). General License No. 11 authorizes certain transactions with the airline -- and any entity it owns by 50% or more -- that would normally be prohibited by the Belarus Sanctions Regulations.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned more than 30 people, entities and vessels tied to the Iranian-backed Houthis. OFAC said the designations target companies and key Houthi "operatives" in Yemen, China, the United Arab Emirates and the Marshall Islands who are helping to fundraise, smuggle and procure weapons for the Houthis.
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The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of what it said are scam centers operating across Southeast Asia, saying they steal billions of dollars from Americans using forced labor and violence. The designations target people, companies and centers operating in Shwe Kokko, Myanmar, a "notorious hub for virtual currency investment scams," as well as 10 centers and affiliated people and entities in Cambodia.
The Defense Department routinely funds research by Chinese entities that the U.S. government has placed on restricted lists for their ties to China’s military or role in human rights abuses, compromising the value of those designations, the House Select Committee on China said in a new report released Sept. 5.