The U.S. Navy last week seized ammunition and weapons on board a vessel likely traveling from Iran to Yemen, the State Department said. The shipment likely violated a U.N. arms embargo because it was on a ship traveling a route “historically used to illegally smuggle weapons” to the Houthis in Yemen, the agency said, noting Iran’s support for the Houthis and other armed groups in the region “threatens international and regional security.” The U.S. said it has seized “dozens” of missiles, thousands of assault rifles and hundreds of machine guns and grenade launchers on similar vessels this year.
The U.N. Security Council Dec. 21 added two new entries to its sanctions list. The UNSC added Sanaullah Ghafari to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions List and sanctioned Ali Darassa under the Central African Republic. Ghafari is the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan group, the UNSC said, and Darassa leads the CAR-based militia group Unite pour la Paix en Centrafrique (Union for Peace in the CAR). Both were also sanctioned by the United Kingdom (see 2112220024).
The Treasury Department’s new “dangerous” humanitarian-related general licenses for Afghanistan lack oversight and could empower the Taliban, said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul said the licenses are “broad sanctions carveouts” that could “reward, legitimize and enable the same Taliban that took power by force and has shown no interest in abiding by international norms.”
The Treasury Department amended the Weapons of Mass Destruction Trade Control Regulations with several technical changes, the agency said in a Federal Register notice. The changes, effective Dec. 27, removed appendix 1 from the regulations, which lists people who contribute to foreign countries’ efforts to develop and stockpile weapons of mass destruction. OFAC also amended certain definitions to reflect the removal of appendix I and made other “technical edits.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 22 sanctioned three people and two entities for operating a Brazil-based support network for al-Qaida. The designations target Haytham Ahmad Shukri Ahmad Al-Maghrabi, Mohamed Sherif Mohamed Mohamed Awadd, Ahmad Al-Khatib and two companies: Home Elegance Comercio de Moveis Eireli and Enterprise Comercio de Moveis e Intermediacao de Negocios Eireli.
Australia’s new Magnitsky-style sanctions laws took effect Dec. 21, allowing the country to craft specific sanctions against human rights abusers, corrupt actors and “significant cyber incidents,” the country’s foreign affairs and trade department said this week. Its parliament earlier this month passed the rules, which had been under review for several years (see 2112020021).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 21 removed one person listed under two entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List. The agency deleted the entry for Rodrick Grech, also known as Roderick Grech, a Malta national who was originally sanctioned in 2018 for ties to illegal fuel smuggling between Libya and Europe. OFAC didn’t release more information.
The U.S. made “modest progress” during last week's talks on the Iranian nuclear deal, but the path toward all parties rejoining the deal or a similar one remains steep, the State Department said (see 2112100026). While negotiators now have a “common understanding of what the text will be that will serve as the basis for negotiations on nuclear issues,” the U.S. and Iran are still far apart on issues involving sanctions, a senior State Department official said Dec. 17.
The State Department on Dec. 20 identified five additional Chinese officials under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act that are contributing to the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy from Beijing. All five officials -- Chen Dong, Lu Xinning, Tan Tieniu, He Jing and Yin Zonghua -- were previously sanctioned by the Treasury Department in July (see 2107160030). Treasury updated their entries on the Specially Designated Nationals List to reflect the State Department's determination. Under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, the State Department and the Treasury Department must prepare a report to Congress within 60 days that identifies any foreign banks that knowingly conduct “a significant transaction” with any of the five newly added officials. It also requires the U.S. to impose certain additional sanctions on the officials.
The U.S. will impose “severe economic and financial consequences,” including new sanctions, if Russia further invades Ukraine, a senior administration official told reporters Dec. 17. The comments came days after the G-7 countries and the European Union threatened “massive consequences” against Russia and after the EU said it is working with the U.S. on a new round of coordinated sanctions (see 2112130007). “We are in the process of preparing severe consequences that would result if Russia decides to take the path of further aggression,” the official said, adding that they are “largely” financial measures. “We are prepared to consider a number of things that we had not considered in the past, and the results will be very profound on the Russian Federation.” Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., also said the U.S. will likely impose more severe sanctions if Russia pursues more military action in Ukraine. “We certainly need to do what we can to protect Ukraine and let the Russians know that we're not going to accept their aggression,” Cohen, a Helsinki Commission member, said during a Dec. 16 commission hearing. “I think it'd be a mistake for them to go to war, but they may, and we need to be swift to respond with sanctions.” The leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee also said the U.S. should prepare multilateral sanctions against Russia (see 2112130044).