The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the following sanctions action last week.
Iran-related and Non-Proliferation-related Sanctions
- OFAC sanctions UAE individual and network supporting Iranian oil: OFAC on April 10 designated United Arab Emirates-based Indian national Jugwinder Singh Brar (Brar), who owns multiple shipping companies that boast a fleet of nearly 30 vessels, many of which operate as part of Iran’s “shadow fleet.” OFAC is also designating two UAE- and two India-based entities that own and operate Brar’s vessels that have transported Iranian oil on behalf of the National Iranian Oil Company and the Iranian military. Brar’s vessels engage in high-risk ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian petroleum in waters off Iraq, Iran, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman. These cargoes reach other facilitators who blend the oil or fuel with products from other countries and falsify shipping documents to conceal links to Iran, allowing these cargoes to reach the international market. See the list of designees. Read more.
- OFAC designates Iranian entities and individuals supporting Iran’s nuclear program: OFAC on April 9 designated five entities and one individual based in Iran for their support to key entities that manage and oversee Iran’s nuclear program, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the AEOI-subordinate Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA). OFAC’s action, which targets entities procuring or manufacturing critical technologies for TESA and AEOI, is taken in furtherance of U.S. policy that Iran be denied a nuclear weapon, as stated in National Security Presidential Memorandum 2. Read more.
Illicit Drug-related Sanctions
- OFAC sanctions Beltran Leyva Organization leader: OFAC on April 9 sanctioned Mexican national, Jesus Alfredo Beltran Guzman, a key leader of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), for playing a significant role in the trafficking of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, into the United States. BLO is heavily involved in the transportation and distribution of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, to the United States, and has been one of the largest suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market for over two decades. Read more.
