Claire O'Neill McCleskey and Claire Grunewald, two former sanctions officials with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, have launched sanctions consulting firm Clarity Compliance Consulting, they announced on LinkedIn. O'Neill McCleskey previously served as head of OFAC's compliance division before leaving in October, and Grunewald was an OFAC sanctions compliance officer before leaving in September.
The U.K.'s Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation published guidance this week on reporting suspected sanctions violations, including what kind of information such reports should include and who should submit them.
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he sent a “friendly note” to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Dec. 16 indicating that he hopes the upper chamber can take up a bill to sanction officials who undermine democracy in the Republic of Georgia.
The House Select Committee on China and the House and Senate Intelligence committees said in a report released Dec. 17 that many Energy Department-funded research projects have been conducted with Chinese entities the U.S. government has placed on restricted lists for their ties to China’s military or role in human rights abuses.
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have urged the Treasury Department to consider whether the proposed acquisition of media and entertainment conglomerate Warner Bros. Discovery should undergo a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.
The Senate voted 77-20 on Dec. 17 to pass the final FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes legislation to restrict U.S. outbound investment in China, repeal a Syria sanctions law and authorize sanctioning certain entities that finance opioid trafficking. The NDAA, which the House approved Dec. 10 (see 2512110013), now heads to President Donald Trump for his expected signature.
The Census Bureau updated its port of export code in the Automated Export System for Port Angeles in Washington to reflect the fact that it's now accepting "road" as a mode of transportation, it said in an email to AES users Dec. 16. The port, code 3007, now permits transport modes for vessel, air and road.
The U.K. delisted two individuals and two entities from its Syria sanctions regime Dec. 17, though it said all four parties remain sanctioned under different restrictions regimes.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed two Russia-related general licenses that authorize certain transactions related to crude oil originating from the Sakhalin-2 project and certain transactions with Russian entities related to civil nuclear energy.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Mexico-based Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima and its leader, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz, saying it's in a "violent conflict" with Cartel Jalisco Nuevo Generacion for control of fuel in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The cartel also participates in an energy black market that undermines legitimate U.S. oil and natural gas companies, the U.S. said, and is involved in trafficking heroin into the country. The Treasury Department said Yepez Ortiz was arrested by Mexican authorities in 2022 and sentenced to 60 years in prison, but he continues to be "active" in the cartel, including by sending instructions and orders through lawyers and family members.