The U.S. removed sanctions from a former board member of one of Russia’s largest private banks more than two years after he submitted a delisting petition and about 10 months after he sued the State Department for stalling a decision on that petition without explanation.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on two export-related information collections, it said in notices this week.
Hungarian national Bence Horvath was charged with violating U.S. export controls on Russia by conspiring to ship radio communications technology to Russian government end users without a license, DOJ announced Aug. 26. Horvath is charged with one count of conspiring to violate the Export Control Reform Act of 2018.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, urged the Biden administration Aug. 27 to increase its enforcement of Iran sanctions to reduce Tehran’s support for terrorist groups. "Instead of allowing the Iranian regime to prosper and withholding weapons from our greatest ally in the Middle East, I’m calling on the Biden-Harris administration to deny" Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' "ability to support and arm terrorists and provide Israel the resources it needs to decimate these terrorists once and for all," Ernst said. The senator made her comment after visiting the site in northern Israel where a rocket attack by Iran-backed Hezbollah killed 12 children last month. A State Department official recently said the administration is "vigorously enforcing" Iran sanctions (see 2408120032).
The U.K. on Aug. 27 removed one person from its ISIL (Da'esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. Moroccan national Yassine Chekkouri was delisted from the sanctions regime. The U.N. Security Council deleted Chekkouri's designation days earlier after receiving a delisting request (see 2408260002).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated two frequently asked questions related to its Cuba restrictions. One FAQ outlines the circumstances under which the U.S. dollar can be used to conduct transactions in Cuba or with Cuban nationals, and another explains that U.S. banks are allowed to process “U-turn” transactions involving Cuba. OFAC issued a final rule in May to authorize those transactions -- which allow people to transfer funds if those transfers originate in the U.S. and terminate outside the U.S. and “where neither the originator nor beneficiary is subject to U.S. jurisdiction” -- along with other measures to loosen its Cuba restrictions (see 2405280033).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control doesn’t use its sanctions to target people for activities protected by the U.S. Constitution, including protections of free speech, religious practices and religious beliefs, the agency said in a new frequently asked question published Aug. 27. It said U.S. people and companies don’t violate sanctions “for engaging in such constitutionally protected activity,” adding that “limitations and authorizations are in place to ensure that U.S. sanctions do not restrict the exchange of information or informational materials, or personal communication.” People and companies don’t need OFAC authorization to “engage in activities that are not prohibited by or are otherwise exempt from sanctions,” the agency said. It said questions about sanctions and constitutionally protected activities should be directed to OFAC’s online compliance hotline.
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Some companies are struggling to meet a due diligence threshold set by the U.S. government for sales to foreign suppliers accused of illegal sales to Russia, said Anne van de Heetkamp, vice president of product management for global trade intelligence at Descartes Systems Group.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., urged the Biden administration last week to take action against Chinese companies that form U.S.-based subsidiaries to evade sanctions and other restrictions imposed by the U.S. government.