On 1 June 2023, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added four entities to the Specialty Designated Nationals List under Executive Order 14098 and issued four general licenses authorizing certain transactions involving Sudan.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled US Government Imposes New Sanctions, Export Controls, and Tariffs Targeting Russia and Belarus to Mark One-Year Anniversary on 25 February 2023. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled OFAC Issues Preliminary Guidance on the Implementation of a Maritime Services Policy Ban and Related Price Exception for Seaborne Russian Oil on 20 September 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled US Government Sanctions More than 100 Russia-Related Parties and Prohibits the Import of Russian Gold in Coordination with G7 Allies on 1 July 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

On May 26, 2022, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued a final rule updating the scope of License Exceptions Authorized Cybersecurity Exports Encryption Commodities, Software, and Technology related to cybersecurity items in response to public comments on the interim final rule related to cybersecurity items published on 21 October 2021. The interim final rule established a new control on certain cybersecurity items for National Security and Anti-terrorism reasons and created License Exception ACE in Section 740.22 of the Export Administration Regulations, which authorizes exports of identified cybersecurity items to most destinations except in certain circumstances.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled OFAC Reissues the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations and Updates Related Guidance on 6 May 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled US Government Issues New Executive Order Prohibiting Certain Imports, Exports, and New Investments Involving Russia and Four New General Licenses Related to Operations in Russian and Ukraine on 15 March 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

Baker McKenzie’s Sanctions Blog published the alert titled “US Government imposes additional sanctions on Russia, including the Central Bank of the Russian Federation; implements Russia-related executive order” on 2 March 2022. Read the article via the link here. Please also visit our Sanctions Blog for the most recent updates.

On February 22, 2022, the US Government issued a number of additional sanctions measures against Russia in response to President Putin’s recognition of the independence of the “so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic in Ukraine (LNR)” and his request to deploy forces to those regions – with President Biden characterizing these developments as “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” The new US sanctions measures build on the comprehensive region-wide sanctions imposed on the two territories of DNR and LNR on February 21, 2022, as reported in our prior blog here.

In November 2021, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”) issued new and updated FAQs on violations, disclosures, debarments, rescissions, and reinstatements under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The FAQs mostly reiterate and further clarify past guidance from DDTC on related matters.