The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission published a primer this week on China's relationship with Venezuela, including details about China's purchases of Venezuelan oil despite U.S. sanctions. The commission said China has become the "primary destination" for sanctioned Venezuelan oil, and Beijing uses sanctions evasion measures "similar to those it uses to import oil from other sanctioned countries like Iran and Russia, including transshipment, bartering, and 'shadow fleet' tankers with opaque ownership." Although the U.S. has sanctioned Chinese entities for cyber and surveillance operations in Venezuela, the report said designations against Chinese parties under Venezuela-related sanctions programs "had been exceedingly rare" until December, when the Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted four Chinese companies and their vessels for operating in Venezuela's oil sector (see 2512310074).
The EU is considering more sanctions against Iran in response to the government's violent crackdown against protesters in recent days, said Kaja Kallas, the European Commission's foreign affairs chief and president of the Foreign Affairs Council. Speaking in Berlin before a meeting with the German defense minister, Kallas said the Iranian regime has a "track record of brutally suppressing protests," calling it "unacceptable." While the EU "already has sweeping sanctions in place" against people in Iran for human rights abuses, "we are discussing on putting additional sanctions," she said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., issued a statement Jan. 7 saying that he hopes there will be a vote on the Russia sanctions bill (see 2512190029 and 2601050050) "as early as next week."
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week removed Kyriaki Demetriou Kamperi from its Specially Designated Nationals List after originally sanctioning him in 2023 for his Russia ties. The U.S. at the time said Kamperi was a "leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of" the Russian government and Russian bank Sberbank. The U.S. also said he had ties to companies owned by Christodoulos Georgiou Vassiliades, who was also designated for being a Sberbank executive. OFAC updated the SDN entry for the company Vassiliades & Co UK Limited to remove a reference to Kamperi.
The U.S. seized two vessels on the high seas Jan. 7 after saying they had violated U.S. sanctions.
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The U.S. will continue to impose and enforce its sanctions against Venezuela until the country takes steps to “further the national interest of the United States” and create a better future for the Venezuelan people, Secretary of State Marci Rubio said.
Etasis, a Turkish machinery company, was removed from the Office of Foreign Asset Control's Specially Designated Nationals List earlier this month "following an extensive remediation process and a comprehensive compliance transformation," CBC Law Firm announced on LinkedIn. The Istanbul-based firm said its client strengthened sanctions compliance controls, practices and governance structures, which led to the removal. "This delisting reflects the value of sustained commitment to compliance and transparent engagement with regulators and represents a meaningful development for the adoption of sanction compliance programs for private corporations."
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation recently issued new FAQs about its Russia-related general license that applies to certain transactions to cover the costs of arbitration. New FAQs 177-183 address the circumstances under which companies should use the license and what payments are specifically covered. They also clarify that there needs to be a U.K. "nexus" for the payment to be affected by the country's sanctions, state that legal advice and representation in dispute resolution is included in the U.K.'s definition of “Legal Services,” and more.
Uzbekistan national and resident Saodat Narzieva sued the Office of Foreign Assets Control and OFAC Director Bradley Smith Dec. 2, saying the agency mistakenly included her in an April 2023 round of Russia-related sanctions, causing her "substantial" harm.