Sanctions Evasion

Unknown man walks into the beautiful glass office of Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank has alerted financial regulators of potential breaches of EU sanctions rules involving Russian clients after discovering that its retail unit had accepted deposits of more than €100,000 from individuals subject to the bloc-wide prohibitions.

Daniel Ortega, Presidente de Nicaragua recibió a la delegación del Ecuador encabezada por el Canciller Ricardo Patiño. El Ministro del Interior, José Serrano, también estuvo presente. Foto: Fernanda LeMarie - Cancillería del Ecuador.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions on Nicaraguan government officials, firms operating in Nicaragua’s gold sector, and individuals tied to the forcible seizure of a U.S.-owned mining asset. 

A photograph of Mojtaba Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran, as purportedly seen on 10 April 2026

The U.S. Treasury imposed a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions on Wednesday, targeting what it described as the illicit oil-shipping empire of Iranian magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani and a Hezbollah-linked oil-for-gold laundering network tied to Venezuela. 

Sakhalin, Russia - February 14, 2009: Workers connect a new branch of the oil pipeline. Photo: Grigory Ivannikov

The Trump administration has allowed a temporary sanctions waiver on Russian oil to expire, ending a short-lived reprieve that had permitted the sale of some blacklisted Russian crude and pulling back from a policy that was intended to help contain surging global oil prices.

Portrait of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini against Mao Zedong. Iranian rial and Chinese yuan. Business concept of the exchange rate, stock exchange, trading

Iran has built a more complex trade system under years of Western sanctions, relying increasingly on China, barter arrangements, and covert financing channels that help it keep goods moving even as formal restrictions target its oil exports, banking access, and foreign trade.