The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Russia-related General License 53, which authorizes transactions necessary for the "compensation" of employees of diplomatic or consular missions of the Russian government. The authorization does not cover debit to an account owned by the Russian Central Bank, the National Wealth Fund of Russia or the Russian Ministry of Finance. OFAC also published new frequently asked question 1096, which explains how the authorization applies to transactions related to Russian missions located both in or outside the U.S. The license "authorizes the payment of salaries to employees of Russian missions that may otherwise be prohibited by Directive 4," OFAC said, including payments payment originated by the Russian Finance Ministry from a non-blocked Russian bank. Directive 4, issued by OFAC in February, blocks transfers of assets to or on behalf of the Central Bank of Russia, the Russian National Wealth Fund and the Russian Ministry of Finance (see 2202280043).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control renewed a Russia-related general license authorizing certain energy-related transactions with several Russian companies. General License 8D, which replaces GL 8C (see 2206140036), authorizes the transactions through 12:01 a.m. EDT May 15, 2023. The license was previously scheduled to expire Dec. 5.

The Office of Foreign Asset Control’s redesignation of Tornado Cash last week (see 2211080050) may have been aimed at bolstering the agency’s legal standing against the virtual currency mixer, according to a Nov. 9 report from MoneyLaundering.com, a news site operated by the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists.

In coordination with the Netherlands and the U.K., the Office of Foreign Assets Control on Nov. 9 sanctioned three individuals and nine entities for their connection to internet-based suppliers of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned two business associates of a sanctioned al-Qaida financial facilitator. The designations target Mohamad Irshad Mohamad Haris Nizar and Musab Turkmen, who “conducted business activities” to help Ahmed Luqman Talib, the sanctioned facilitator.

President Joe Biden this week extended a national emergency that authorizes a ban on U.S. investments in Chinese military companies. The ban was first issued during the Trump administration and later expanded by Biden last year by widening the scope of the restrictions to cover companies operating in China’s surveillance technology sector (see 2106030067). "The threat from securities investments that finance certain" Chinese companies and "certain uses and development of Chinese surveillance technology continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," the White House said. The national emergency was extended for one year beyond Nov. 12.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned one person and one entity for helping Myanmar’s military purchase weapons. The designations, announced alongside similar measures by the EU (see 2211080006), target Kyaw Min Oo, a Myanmar national and businessman with close ties to the country’s military, and Sky Aviator, his company. OFAC said Kyaw Min Oo has “facilitated arms deals and weapons purchases on behalf” of Myanmar’s military, and has helped arrange visits to Myanmar by high-ranking foreign military officers. Sky Aviator is used to “facilitate upgrades and maintenance” of the country’s military aircraft, OFAC said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced several North Korea-related sanctions measures this week, including designations against two people involved in illegally importing goods into the country. OFAC also delisted and redesignated the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash to account for “additional information” and to include an “additional basis” for the mixer’s designation. The agency issued a new frequently asked question to offer compliance guidance for Tornado Cash and updated three existing FAQs.

U.S. sanctions have “abjectly failed” to stop North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and instead have allowed the regime’s weapons efforts to grow stronger, Reuters said in a Nov. 4 analysis. U.S. policymakers can now only “pick through the wreckage and seek to determine what went wrong,” the analysis said. "We've had a policy failure. It's a generational policy failure," Joseph DeThomas, a former U.S. official in the Clinton and Obama administrations who worked on North Korea and Iran sanctions, told Reuters. A senior U.S. administration official agreed that sanctions have failed to stop North Korea’s missile programs but told Reuters that “if the sanctions didn't exist, (North Korea) would be much, much further along, and much more of a threat to its neighbors to the region and to the world."

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned four members of the Islamic State Group operating in South Africa for providing technical, financial or material support to the terrorist group. The agency also designated four companies owned or controlled by those individuals. The designations target Nufael Akbar, Yunus Mohamad Akbar, Mohamad Akbar and Umar Akbar along with the companies: MA Gold Traders, Bailey Holdings, Flexoseal Waterproofing Solutions and HJ Bannister Construction. The agency also designated Sultans Construction, Ashiq Jewellers, Ineos Trading and Shaahista Shoes.