The U.S. this week sanctioned the Cognitive Design Production Center, a subsidiary of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, an entity tied to the Russian government, for interfering in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The Office of Foreign Assets Control said the Cognitive Design Production Center planned influence operations to “incite socio-political tensions” among the U.S. electors in the lead-up to the elections, and the Center for Geopolitical Expertise helped create and circulate deepfakes and disinformation about candidates in the general election. OFAC also sanctioned Valery Mikhaylovich Korovin, the organization’s director.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 30 released quarterly reports on certain licensing activities for Iran and Sudan, covering the period from October 2022 through September 2024. The reports provide licensing statistics for exports of agricultural goods, medicine and medical devices to both countries as required by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.

The State Department is maintaining the Foreign Terrorist Organization designations for al-Qa’ida in the Indian subcontinent, Boko Haram, Hezbollah, the Islamic State of West Africa and Jemaah Islamiyah, the agency said in a notice released last week. It said the “circumstances that were the basis for the designation" of those organizations "have not changed in such a manner as to warrant revocation of the designations and that the national security of the United States does not warrant a revocation of the designations."

China’s Foreign Ministry announced new sanctions last week against seven companies for their involvement with arms sales to Taiwan, targeting Insitu, Hudson Technologies, Saronic Technologies, Raytheon Canada, Raytheon Australia, Aerkomm and Oceaneering International. The ministry said the sanctions freeze their Chinese assets and block them from doing certain business with Chinese companies. China has issued several rounds of designations against American firms for arms sales to Taiwan in recent months (see 2412050011, 2410100005, 2409180004 and 2407120011).

The U.S. on Dec. 27 sanctioned Bidzina Ivanishvili, a Georgian oligarch and former Georgian prime minister. The State Department said Ivanishvili was sanctioned for "undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of" Russia, and he has also contributed to human rights abuses in the country.

Canada this week criticized Beijing’s recent decision to sanction two Canadian civil society organizations and human rights activists (see 2412230058), saying the measures were designed to “punish them for speaking out for human rights.” China sanctioned the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project in Canada and the Canada-Tibet Committee, among others, days after Canada imposed its own sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations (see 2412110016).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week issued another reminder for users of its website to fill out a survey (see 2410110053) that will give OFAC feedback on how it can streamline the site’s navigation and improve its “sanctions guidance, resource accessibility, and user experience.” The survey closes Dec. 30.

The U.N. Security Council removed sanctions from Abdelhafiz Zlitni, who was designated for being a Libyan government official. The U.N. also listed him as serving as the temporary head of the Central Bank of Libya. It didn’t release more information.

China last week imposed sanctions on Canada-based organizations and others in response to Canada’s recent sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations (see 2412110016). The designations, taken under Beijing’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, target the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project in Canada and the Canada-Tibet Committee, along with a list of the groups’ officials, according to an unofficial translation of a notice from China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. The sanctions block their property in China and prohibit them from doing business in the country.

The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended one entry under its Belarus sanctions regime on Dec. 19. OFSI altered the listing for Mikail Gutseriev, a Cypriot-Russian businessman, to establish that he was being sanctioned for "owning or controlling directly or indirectly" Belarussian energy companies JSC NK Neftisa and PJSC RussNeft.