The Office of Foreign Assets Control added three individuals and two entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, under transnational criminal organizations designations, OFAC said (here).

President Barack Obama authorized sanctions against Russian individuals and entities “determined to be responsible for tampering, altering, or causing the misappropriation of information with the purpose or effect of interfering with or undermining election processes or institutions,” the Treasury Department said (here). Obama added four individuals and five entities to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list under cyber-related designations, while Treasury in a parallel action added two individuals to the SDN list for their alleged misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personal identifiers or financial information for private financial gain, Treasury said (here). “The integrity and stability of our electronic systems are of utmost importance to our national security and we will hold accountable those who seek to compromise or tamper with those systems,” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a statement. “Treasury will use all of its financial tools as part of the U.S. Government’s effort to counter those who engage in malicious cyber activities against our financial system or our national institutions.”

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added two individuals to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, under counterterrorism designations, OFAC said (here).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added 18 individuals and five entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, under counterproliferation and Syria designations, OFAC said (here).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control is issuing a final rule to amend the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations to reflect agency licensing policies and address public inquiries, OFAC said (here). The rule will make changes related to authorized sales of agricultural commodities, medicine, and medical devices to Iran pursuant to the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, and clarifies definitions of “goods of Iranian origin” and “Iranian-origin goods,” OFAC said. The final rule will take effect Dec. 23.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 11, which authorizes certain transactions with FAU Glavgosekspertiza Rossii ordinarily incident and necessary to requesting, contracting for, paying for, receiving or utilizing a project design review or permit from the company's office(s) in Russia, not including Crimea, OFAC said (here). The state-run entity is authorized to conduct official examinations of project documentation for significant construction in Russia. In other action, OFAC added seven individuals, eight entities and two vessels to the Specially Designated Nationals list, under Russia/Ukraine designations, the agency said. OFAC also added 26 entities to its Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List under Russia/Ukraine designations. A State Department spokesman on Dec. 20 said the sanctions reflect Russia's support for separatists in Ukraine, and violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty (here). The State spokesman said he hopes the next administration will continue the sanctions, highlighting recent events in Ukraine. Considering "the recent violence ... in eastern Ukraine just over the last couple of days, we would hope that they would see the wisdom in keeping these sanctions and this pressure on Russia, because we have seen it have an effect," he said. "But obviously, these are decisions they have to make and we also respect that process as well."

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added one individual to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, under counterterrorism designations, OFAC said (here).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended General License 1 -- which allows U.S. companies to provide goods or services to the official mission of the North Korean government to the United Nations -- to generally deny U.S. financial institutions the ability to open and operate accounts for the diplomatic mission of North Korea, its employees and their families, OFAC said (here). New General License 1-A requires that fund transfers to or from the mission or its employees be conducted through an account at a specifically licensed U.S. financial institution.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License J-1, which authorizes the re-exportation of eligible civil aircraft involving code-sharing arrangements to Iran on temporary sojourn and related transactions, OFAC said (here). This license supersedes General License J. OFAC also updated related to the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry on Dec. 15 renewed the U.S.' waiver of sanctions on Iran under the JCPOA, according to a statement (here).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added one individual and two entities to its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, under counterterrorism designations, OFAC said (here).