The Office of Foreign Assets Control published previously issued general licenses under its Belarus Sanctions Regulations in three separate notices. The full text of each license is available in the notices.

The U.N. Security Council on June 2 amended a Libya-related entry on its sanctions list. The UNSC revised identifying information for Merai Abdefattah Khalil Zoghbi, who has ties to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned seven members of a “malign influence group” with ties to Russian government intelligence. The designations target Konstantin Prokopyevich Sapozhnikov, Yury Yuryevich Makolov, Gleb Maksimovich Khloponin, Svetlana Andreyevna Boyko, Aleksey Vyacheslavovich Losev, Vasily Viktorovich Gromovikov and Anna Travnikova, all of whom are involved in efforts to “destabilize” the Moldovan government. OFAC also sanctioned Perko Julleuchter, a workshop that produces ceramic lanterns, which is owned by Losev.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control published previously issued general licenses, a sectoral determination and a directive under its Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations. Each notice includes the full text of the licenses, determination and directive.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned Iranian technology company Arvan Cloud, two of its senior employees and an affiliated business in the United Arab Emirates for helping the Iranian government’s internet censorship. The agency said Arvan Cloud, also known as Navyan Abr Arvan Private Limited Co., is a “key partner” of Iran’s Information and Communications Technology Ministry and was co-founded by Pouya Pirhosseinloo and Farhad Fatemi. Also designated was Dubai-based ArvanCloud Global Technologies, which provides cloud services on behalf of Arvan Cloud.

Canada this week sanctioned seven people and one entity in Moldova for acting as “Russian collaborators,” including Moldovan oligarchs, business people, parliamentarians and politicians. Also designated was the Shor Party, a political party “closely connected” to Ilan Mironovich Shor -- who is also being sanctioned -- and which works to “destabilize Moldova’s democratically elected government in favour of Russia.” The designations follow similar sanctions by the EU (see 2305310036).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned members and affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the IRGC-Qods Force who have ties to the groups’ terrorist and assasination plots in the U.S. and abroad. The designations target various IRGC officials and associates, along with Rey Havacilik Ithalat Ihracat Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, a Turkey-based airline, for assisting the group’s operations. Brian Nelson, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said they help Iran target “those they deem enemies of the Iranian regime.”

The U.S. this week issued its first set of Sudan sanctions since a May executive order expanded U.S. sanctions authority against the country (see 2305040037), designating four companies, including its largest defense firm, earning revenue or contributing to Sudan’s ongoing military conflict. The designations, announced June 1 by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, include four new general licenses to authorize certain essential transactions, including for humanitarian aid.

The U.N. Security Council this week added one entry to its sanctions list. The designation targets Somalia-based Abdullahi Osman Mohamed Caddow, who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2020 for being a senior leader of al-Shabaab, a Somalia terrorist group and al-Qaida affiliate (see 2011170043).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new Russia-related general license this week that authorizes certain transactions involving Hungary-based International Investment Bank, which was sanctioned in April for being a Russia-controlled financial institution (see 2304120039). New GL 69 authorizes certain transactions “necessary to the processing of interest or principal payments on debt securities issued” by the bank before April 12, 2023. Those transactions are authorized through 12:01 a.m. EDT on June 30 as long as the interest or principal payments are not made to people located in Russia and that any payments to a sanctioned person are made into a blocked account in accordance with the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations. Certain other conditions apply.