The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General Licenses related to Syria, Iran and Venezuela, "Authorizing Certain Activities to Respond to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic," according to a June 10 notice.
Canada last week announced another set of Russia sanctions, including a ban on the export of 28 services “vital” for the operation of oil, gas and chemical industries. The ban also applies to technical, management, accounting and advertising services, Canada said. The country said the ban is meant to target Russia’s energy and chemical industry, which “accounts for about 50% of Russia’s federal budget revenues.” The sanctions took effect June 8.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on June 9 published new Russia-related frequently asked questions to clarify which activities are prohibited by its restrictions surrounding accounting, corporate formation and management consultant services (see 2205090042).
The State Department maintained its designation of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a Federal Register notice said. The agency said circumstances haven’t changed “in such a manner as to warrant revocation of the designation.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a final rule this week that will officially loosen some Trump-era restrictions on Cuba, including on certain remittances to the island (see 2009230029 and 2010230024). The changes, previewed by the administration in May (see 2205170004) and effective June 9, will amend the Cuban Assets Control Regulations by removing the limit on family remittances of $1,000 per quarter. It will also authorize donative remittances to Cuba, remove restrictions on certain "academic educational activities," and allow travel to Cuba related to educational groups or professional meetings or conferences. The rule also made technical changes to the CACR by adding and updating "several cross references."
The EU updated its frequently asked questions pages relating to its Russia sanctions regime for a host of topics. The new guidance relates to public procurement, aviation, credit rating, deposits, insurance and reinsurance, state-owned enterprises, customs-related matters and circumvention and due diligence.
The U.S. should soon impose “hard-hitting” Magnitsky sanctions against Chinese artificial intelligence surveillance company Hikvision for its role in human rights violations in Xinjiang, which could help deter other companies from supporting the region’s surveillance complex, said Dahlia Peterson, a research analyst at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology. Although the U.S. added Hikvision to the Entity List in 2019 (see 2205090014), placing the company on the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals List would “be a step forward,” Peterson said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control published a new frequently asked question and updated two other FAQs related to its Russia sanctions. New FAQ 1055 clarifies how and whether Russia-related investment restrictions apply to the lending of funds or the purchasing of an equity interest in entities located outside Russia.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated two officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Marinko Cavara, president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Alen Seranic, minister of health and social welfare for the Republika Srpska. The two have threatened the stability of the region by undermining the Dayton Peace Accords and democratic processes or institutions, OFAC said in a June 6 news release.
The EU officially imposed its sixth sanctions package on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, the European Council announced June 3. The package includes a phased ban on the "purchase, import or transfer" of crude oil and certain petroleum goods from Russia to the EU. The prohibition will take six months for crude oil and eight months for other refined petroleum products. The council also laid out a temporary exception for crude oil imported via pipeline into the EU member states that "suffer from a specific dependence on Russian supplies and have no viable alternative options" -- namely, Hungary, which held up the ban over energy supply concerns (see 2206020016). Bulgaria and Croatia were also granted exceptions for the import of Russian seaborne crude oil and vacuum gas oil, respectively.