President Trump issued a new executive order (the EO) on September 21st that greatly expands the U.S. sanctions against North Korea, particularly secondary sanctions. Secondary sanctions apply to non-U.S. individuals and corporations and are imposed by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the U.S. Secretary of State. The EO establishes the following: … Continue Reading
On February 2nd the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) imposed new sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities that were believed to be “involved in procuring technology and/or materials to support Iran’s ballistic missile program, as well as for acting for or on behalf of, or providing support to, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods … Continue Reading
Before President Obama’s exit from The White House, he removed most of the sanctions in place against Sudan. While President Trump and the Secretary of State ultimately have the final decision, it is believed they were consulted by the Obama administration about these changes. The relaxed Sudan sanctions will allow U.S. persons to engage in … Continue Reading
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added five new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on 6 January 2017. The new FAQs were in reference to a general license that OFAC issued on October of 2016. The license considerably lessened the ‘180-day’ rule – a restriction that makes foreign-flag vessels wait at least … Continue Reading
As a direct result of nuclear and ballistic weapons tests conducted by the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of North Korea earlier this year, the United Nations, the European Union and the United States imposed increased sanctions against the country. These new restrictions affect various industries, including minerals, energy, shipping, banking, finance, and aviation. In keeping with … Continue Reading
Reed Smith has been closely monitoring developments in U.S.-Cuba relations. With President Obama’s historic visit to Cuba in the books, we invite you to take a closer look at some recent amendments that were made to Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). These changes provide significant benefits in the travel, shipping, … Continue Reading
18 October 2015, marked ‘Adoption Day’ for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA was agreed upon 90 days earlier, between the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, together with Iran. While the latest measures taken by the EU, the United States and Iran make the necessary legal preparations … Continue Reading
In keeping with the Obama Administration’s efforts to normalize relations with Cuba, the U.S. government is making further amendments to CACR and EAR. While the overall embargo is still in place, these amendments will lessen the degree of various restrictions. The effects will be seen in areas including travel, telecommunications and internet-based services, commercial and … Continue Reading
On 24 November 2013, the P5+1 countries (comprising the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany) together with Iran, agreed the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), which relaxed some of the sanctions imposed against Iran by the EU and U.S. The JPOA was intended to provide interim sanctions relief, while the parties worked … Continue Reading
In our alert of 8 July, we reported that the P5+1 and Iran had announced the extension of the Joint Plan of Action Relief Period (the JPOA Relief Period) to today, 10 July 2015. Negotiations with Iran continue. To allow more time for the parties involved to reach a long-term solution, the JPOA Relief Period … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Alexandra E. Allan and Tom C. Evans This alert follows our previous alerts on the Russia/Ukraine sanctions. U.S. Passes New Sanctions Authorizing Statute – Sends Russia Frigid End of Year Message President Obama: U.S. will “review and calibrate” sanctions in response to Russia’s actions On December 18, 2014, President Obama signed into … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Alexandra E. Allan, Laith Najjar, Tom C. Evans On 24 November 2013, an agreement was reached between the E3+3 (also known as the P5+1, and which includes the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, France and Germany) and Iran. This agreement, known as the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), was … Continue Reading
In January 2014, both the EU and U.S. brought into force measures which temporarily suspended and relaxed (for an initial period of six months) some of the sanctions in place against Iran. This reflected the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) agreed to in November 2013 between Iran and the E3+3, also known as the P5+1, … Continue Reading
This Alert follows our previous alerts on the Russia/Ukraine sanctions available on our website. July continued to be a busy time as the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament), the EU and the United States intensified their responses to the situation in the Crimea and the escalating situation in eastern Ukraine. The United States has hinted … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Laith Najjar. Since March 2014, we have been closely monitoring the developments relating to the situation in the Ukraine and reporting them as Client Alerts and blog updates. We have set out below a summary of the recent changes in respect of the Ukraine as well as an update … Continue Reading
The European Union has made further additions to the list of sanctioned parties under the regime put in place in response to the Russian Federation’s actions in the Crimea (Regulation 269/2014 and subsequent amendments). On 12 May 2014, the Council of the European Union published Regulation 477/2014, which added an additional 13 individuals to the … Continue Reading
The Russian Federation and the United States continue to clash over the proposed annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, with the United States adding 20 Russian officials and related persons to its list of sanctioned persons. Some of the persons recently added to the United States’ SDN List were recently sanctioned by the EU, as we … Continue Reading
Tensions continue to mount between the Russian and Ukrainian governments in the wake of a controversial referendum that threatens to expand the borders of the Russian Federation. The results of that Crimean plebiscite show that an estimated 97 percent of voters favor the Russian annexation of Crimea, but the peninsula’s ethnic Tartars boycotted the referendum. … Continue Reading
Speaking on Sunday’s talk-show circuit, Secretary of State John Kerry condemned Russia’s military intervention in the Crimea, accusing the Kremlin of invading the Ukraine and violating the UN Charter. The condemnation echoes calls from Capitol Hill to impose immediate sanctions against Russia, but Putin will likely persist despite such threats. In the past, Russia ignored … Continue Reading
This post was also written by Matthew J. Thomas and Charles A. Brown. Yesterday, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) made dozens of significant additions to its list if Iran-linked sanctioned parties, adding new energy, finance and shipping companies, as well as many new individuals and vessels. An update from our shipping, energy and commodities … Continue Reading
