Recent news from Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control: December 22

The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the following sanctions action last week.

Russia-related Sanctions

OFAC issues new Russia-related General Licenses and updates FAQs: OFAC issued:

General License 55E – authorizing certain services related to Sakhalin-2.
General License 115C – authorizing certain transactions related to civil nuclear energy.

Additionally, OFAC has amended eight Russia-related FAQs: 967, 978, 999, 1011, 1117, 1182, 1203, and 1216 to clarify the scope of OFAC’s Russian Harmful Foreign Activities program, including an FAQ about banks’ refusal to process requested payments related to energy, and examples of permissible funds transfers involving sanctioned FFIs.

OFAC updates Russia-related FAQs: OFAC on Dec. 18 amended FAQ 1224 and FAQ 1225 to clarify activities permitted under General Licenses related to Lukoil.

International Criminal Court-related and Iran-related Sanctions

OFAC issues new General Licenses and updates sanctions lists: OFAC issued two new General Licenses:

International Criminal Court-related General License 11 – authorizes the wind down of transactions involving certain persons blocked on Dec. 18, 2025.
Iran-related General License S – authorizes limited safety and environmental transactions and the offloading of cargo involving certain persons or vessels blocked on Dec. 18, 2025. Read more.

Iran-related Sanctions

OFAC targets Iranian shadow fleet: On December 18, OFAC sanctioned 29 vessels and their associated management firms for transporting hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum products. This action intensifies pressure on the Iranian shadow fleet, which uses deceptive shipping practices to export petroleum and petroleum products. Among those designated is Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr, a UAE-based Egyptian shipping businessman. His companies are linked to seven of the sanctioned vessels and multiple shipping firms. Read more.

OFAC FSE list update: OFAC removed the following individual from the Foreign Sanctions Evaders (FSE) List:

Evren Kayakiran (Turkey) – DOB: Feb 8, 1980; Passport: U00242309 Read more.

Venezuela-related Sanctions

OFAC sanctions Maduro family associates: OFAC sanctioned several family members and associates of the Maduro-Flores network, targeting corruption linked to Venezuela’s illegitimate regime. New designations include immediate family members of Carlos Erik Malpica Flores and Ramon Carretero, both tied to deceptive practices and financial operations benefiting Nicolás Maduro’s government. Read more.

OFAC issues Venezuela-related General License and updates FAQ: OFAC issued General License 5T, authorizing certain transactions related to the Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. 2020 8.5% Bond on or after Feb. 3, 2026. Additionally, OFAC published an amended Venezuela-related FAQ 595.

Foreign Terrorist Organization Sanctions

OFAC sanctions Mexican fuel theft cartel: OFAC sanctioned the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL) and its leader, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz, for large-scale fuel and oil theft in Guanajuato, Mexico. CSRL’s violent conflict with Cartel Jalisco Nuevo Generación (CJNG) has made Guanajuato one of Mexico’s deadliest states. Their activities fuel a cross-border black market, harm U.S. energy firms, and deprive Mexico of critical revenue. Read more.