Following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has undertaken several initial sanctions steps to counter terrorist financing and call attention to...more
Will 2022 Be the Year of Supply Chain Ethics?
Effective June 21, 2022, in an effort to address forced labor concerns, U.S. law will broadly prohibit imports of products from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region...more
1/19/2022
/ China ,
Compliance ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Due Diligence ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Ethics ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Sanctions ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) ,
Withhold Release Orders (WROs)
On 22 March 2021, the EU added 11 Burmese officials responsible for last month’s military coup in Myanmar to its sanctions list. The designations are made in response to “the illegitimate over-throwing of the...more
U.S. officials have continued to use a range of policy tools to apply pressure on the military leadership of Myanmar (also known as Burma) in response to the military coup in the country and escalating violence against...more
On March 2, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Asset Controls (OFAC) imposed sanctions on two key militant leaders of the Iranian-backed Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis. OFAC sanctions target Mansur...more
On February 18, 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) entered into a settlement of $507,375 with BitPay, Inc. (BitPay) for violations of multiple U.S. sanctions programs. According to...more
In response to the recent military coup in Myanmar (also known as Burma) against the democratically-elected government, on February 11, 2021 the Biden Administration issued an Executive Order on Blocking Property with Respect...more
On January 10, 2021, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Ansarallah, an armed militia in Yemen backed by Iran also known as the “Houthis,” as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and as Specially Designated...more
On December 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of State initiated a series of sanctions pursuant to Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that target the Turkish Presidency of Defense...more
Over the course of the Obama and Trump administrations, U.S. officials have found new ways to incorporate human rights concerns into sanctions and export control policies. Recent announcements by the Commerce and State...more
Continuing its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, the United States has (a) ratcheted up sanctions under Executive Orders that provide for the imposition of secondary sanctions on non-U.S. companies that engage in...more
On August 11, 2020, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a new guidance document, the Sudan Program and Darfur Sanctions Guidance (“Sudan Guidance”), which clarifies the current...more
On June 15, 2017, the Senate passed the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (S.722) by a vote of 98-2. Included with the bill is a significant Russia sanctions amendment, the Countering Russian Influence...more
OFAC has issued a new General License to address problems raised by the sanctioning of the Federal Security Services (FSB). This adjustment serves to authorize permits by the FSB needed for certain commercial transactions...more
Effective January 17, 2017, a new general license authorizes a broad range of activities previously prohibited under the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations (SSR), including most transactions with individuals and entities in Sudan...more
On November 30, 2016, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a unanimous resolution strengthening sanctions against North Korea. The Resolution comes in response to the conduct of the latest round of nuclear tests...more
Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 Presidential election put the Republican Party in charge of the White House and Congress for the first time in a decade. President-elect Trump ran as an anti-establishment candidate who...more
Both the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) have announced new amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) and Export...more
On April 2, 2015 representatives of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia (collectively, the “P5+1” countries) announced that they had agreed with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Parameters for a...more
On April 1, 2015, President Obama issued a groundbreaking Executive Order (E.O.) enabling the United States to sanction persons that have (1) participated in malicious cyber-enabled activities constituting a “significant...more
President Obama made an unexpected announcement this week signaling a “new course” for Cuba after more than fifty years of comprehensive U.S. sanctions. Reestablishing diplomatic relations is a major change. In terms of...more
The United States recently expanded sanctions and export controls against the Russian defense sector. These designations and export control steps have implications for defense contractors, parts suppliers and brokers....more
On August 13, 2014, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued new guidance on ownership/control for determining blocked parties. This represented the first significant update on this topic since February 14, 2008,...more
The United States, European Union and Canada each took steps recently to expand sanctions against Russia, including the targeting of major defense companies and the addition of export controls. These designations and export...more
The United States, Canada and the European Union have designated a number of additional officials and companies as the unrest continues in eastern Ukraine. The United States also imposed sanctions on the head of Russian...more