The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the following sanctions action last week.
SDN List Updates
OFAC SDN List – administrative updates: OFAC has made non-substantive administrative changes to several entries on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List. These updates include corrections and changes to previously published identifiers.
These changes affect entries under multiple sanctions programs, including Russia, Iran, Iraq, Belarus, Global Magnitsky, Narcotics Trafficking and Counter Terrorism sanctions. Read more.
Iran-related Sanctions
OFAC sanctions Iranian network evading sanctions and enabling oppression: On Aug. 7, OFAC designated 18 individuals and entities involved in Iran’s efforts to evade U.S. sanctions, generate revenue from illicit petroleum sales, and fund proxy groups. Iran has engineered sophisticated banking schemes and alternate payment messaging systems specifically designed to bypass sanctions and protect its ability to collect export revenues, particularly from illicit petroleum sales.
The designations also target financial and IT firms that provide surveillance technologies used to restrict internet access and monitor women violating Iran’s mandatory hijab laws. Read more.
Foreign Terrorist Organization Sanctions
OFAC sanctions key figures in Mexico’s Cartel del Noreste: On August 6, OFAC designated three senior members and one associate of the Cartel del Noreste (CDN), formerly known as Los Zetas, for their roles in supporting the cartel’s violent operations.
CDN, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, controls key trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border, especially near Laredo, Texas. The sanctioned individuals—Abdon Federico Rodriguez Garcia, Antonio Romero Sanchez, and Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto—are linked to crimes including drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and acts of extreme violence. Financial institutions should update sanctions screening systems accordingly. Read more.
