Lawmakers this week reintroduced two Venezuela sanctions bills as the new 119th Congress gears up for business.
The U.S. on Jan. 10 announced a new set of sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, targeting major Russian oil producers, oil service providers and insurance companies, as well as vessels and traders moving Russian oil as part of the country’s shadow fleet. Treasury said the designations target two of Russia’s “most significant” oil producers and exporters -- Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas -- along with more than 180 other people, ships and traders involved in Russian oil trade.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan. 7 renewed a Russia-related general license that authorizes certain transactions involving the Russian Federation's Central Bank, Wealth Fund and Ministry of Finance. General License No. 13L, which replaced 13K, now authorizes those transactions, including taxes, fees, or import duties, through 12:01 a.m. EDT April 9. The license was set to expire Jan. 8.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan. 6 issued a new license authorizing certain government, energy and personal remittance-related transactions with Syria. The license, General License No. 24, was issued about a month after the Dec. 8 collapse of the country’s Bashar al-Assad regime, which had faced strict financial sanctions.
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.
U.S. quantum technology companies and industry groups urged the Bureau of Industry and Security to maintain the set of deemed export control exclusions outlined in its September rule on certain advanced technologies (see 2409050028), saying that without them the American quantum industry could lose top talent and cede technological leadership to other countries.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated its online landing page for licenses to improve the “user experience,” published a new guide on checking the status of specific license applications and issued a set of best practices on applying for a license. The best practices guidance includes a checklist of do’s and don’t’s that applicants should follow when preparing an application and awaiting a decision.
The U.S. this week announced sanctions on entities, ships and one person that are involved in the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline or that are linked to the project. Each was previously sanctioned under the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act, but the State Department said it’s redesignating them under a 2021 Russia-related executive order.
A new general license issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control this week authorizes transactions with Russia’s Gazprombank if those payments involve certain civil nuclear energy projects.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is updating its general licenses that authorize certain payments for legal services from funds originating outside the U.S., it announced in a final rule effective Dec. 19. The rule is applicable March 12.