OFAC | Certain Risk

Horacio Cartes, hands clasped, speaking at a microphone. — Horacio Cartes en su visita oficial a Ecuador by Cancillería del Ecuador, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horacio_Cartes_en_su_visita_oficial_a_Ecuador.jpg — License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

US Lifts Sanctions on Former Paraguay President Cartes

The United States has removed former Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes from its sanctions list, a shift that comes amid warmer ties between the Trump administration and President Santiago Peña’s conservative government, Bloomberg reported.

NIS storage tanks at a refining facility. — NIS rezervoari by NIS ad, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0 Serbia. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NIS_rezervoari.jpg — License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/rs/

In Blow to Moscow, OFAC Imposes Sanctions on Serbia’s Main Oil Supplier

The United States has imposed sanctions on the Russia-controlled Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), prompting warnings from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić of “unforeseeable” consequences for the Balkan nation ahead of winter, the Associated Press reported.

A Russia-backed armed rebel observing fighting positions though firing port at his position in ruins of International Donetsk Airport, June 12, 2015 — Mstyslav Chernov / UnFrame, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. No changes made. Source: Wikimedia

Consumer Data Giant’s Russian Subsidiary Expands Business in Occupied Ukraine

NIQ, the world’s largest consumer-data provider, has been conducting business in occupied Ukraine despite international sanctions against the Russian Federation, the Financial Times reported.

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro shaking hands with President Donald Trump at a press conference on the White House lawn.

U.S. Blacklists Wife of Brazilian Judge Who Oversaw Bolsonaro Case

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on Viviane Barci de Moraes, the wife of Brazilian Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes, escalating a confrontation over the judge’s handling of cases against former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Iranian cleric Ali Khamenei. — Khamenei.ir. (2025, March 19). Nowruz message on the occasion of the beginning of the year 1404. Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY 4.0

OFAC Takes Aim at Financial Facilitators Aiding Iran’s Military

OFAC sanctioned two Iranian financial facilitators and more than a dozen individuals and entities based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for moving funds that allegedly benefited Iran’s military.

Yvette Cooper speaking at a press conference — Day 1: Home Secretary Yvette Cooper at Home Office (Photo by UK Home Office, 2024) [Photograph]. Licensed under CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia Commons. Source: Wikimedia Commons

UK Sanctions Target Russia’s Shadow Fleet and Weapons Programs

The United Kingdom imposed a new package of 100 sanctions aimed at curbing Russia’s ability to finance and sustain its war against Ukraine.

Hacker performing a network port scan on a laptop.

OFAC Blacklists Cyber Scammers in Southeast Asia

The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday blacklisted 19 entities linked to large cyber-scam compounds in Southeast Asia that have targeted Americans in romance and cryptocurrency-investment swindles.

Aleksander Zelekson sitting in a corner next to an old television. A cat is sitting on top of the television. — Rob Hornstra, “Aleksander Zelekson, Nizhny Novgorod (2007),” cropped and edited from the original, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Censored and Sanctioned, Russian Television Plays American Hit Shows

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, Russians continue to seek respite from the conflict by turning to movie and TV streaming services, including at least one that is showing HBO hit shows.