Iran Seeks Crypto Payments for Strait-of-Hormuz Tolls after Ceasefire
Iran is seeking to collect transit tolls from oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz in cryptocurrency, a move that could deepen the role of digital assets in the country’s sanctions-hit economy.
China Turned to Small Banks, ‘Teapot’ Refineries to Dodge Iran Sanctions
China has helped Iran blunt the impact of U.S. sanctions over the past five years by buying the bulk of its oil exports and supporting a complex financial and shipping network that has allowed Tehran to keep earning billions of dollars in revenue.
Georgian Company is Helping Russia Sell Donetsk Commodities Abroad
A Georgia-based company has inked a deal with Russian-installed authorities in occupied eastern Ukraine to export coal, chemicals, and metals, opening what Le Monde described as a new channel for Moscow to skirt international sanctions.
After OFAC Waiver, Asian Nations Increasingly Turn to Russian Oil
Asian countries hit by acute energy disruptions from the Gulf conflict are increasingly turning to Russia for emergency oil supplies after the United States granted a temporary sanctions waiver on Russian crude.
U.S. Removes Venezuela Leader Delcy Rodríguez from SDN List
The Trump administration on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, removing a key barrier that had prevented Americans from doing business with her and potentially clearing the way for fresh U.S. investment in the country.
Rwanda Threatens to End Islamic State Fight Over U.S. Sanctions Row
Rwanda has threatened to withdraw its troops from northern Mozambique, where they have spent the past five years containing Islamic State-linked militants, after the U.S. imposed sanctions on Kigali over its alleged support for the M23 insurgency in neighboring Congo.
CFTC To Focus on Prediction Markets, Willful AML Violations
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will prioritize enforcement against insider trading in prediction markets, manipulation in energy markets, spoofing, retail fraud, and willful violations of anti-money-laundering (AML) laws, the agency’s new enforcement director said Tuesday.
From Cuba to South Korea, Russian Oil Exports Start Arriving
Cuba was preparing on Monday to receive a sanctioned Russian tanker carrying about 730,000 barrels of oil, offering a temporary lifeline to the island as it struggles through a fuel crisis worsened by a U.S. oil blockade.
U.S. Senators Want to Blacklist Hungarian Officials Holding Up Ukraine Aid
A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators is set to introduce legislation that would seek sanctions on senior Hungarian officials involved in blocking aid to Ukraine and maintaining the country’s reliance on Russian energy.
Even with U.S. Waiver, Iran’s Oil Heads for China
China remains the destination for about 90 percent of Iranian crude exports despite a recent U.S. sanctions waiver intended to release previously restricted oil onto global markets.