Sanctions

Official portrait of US Rep David Rivera

Trial Begins for Ex-U.S. Lawmaker Accused of Lobbying for Venezuela

The trial of former U.S. Congressman David Rivera started Monday in Miami as the Florida Republican faces charges that he illegally lobbied American officials on behalf of Venezuelan interests without registering as a foreign agent.

A smiling Scott Bessent sitting between a frowning Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth.

U.S. Mulls Lifting Some Iran Sanctions to Mitigate Oil-Price Surge

The United States may remove sanctions in the coming days on about 140 million barrels of Iranian oil stranded aboard tankers at sea, according to The Guardian, which cited recent comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

A photograph of a Hezbollah flag flying between two missiles.

U.S. Blacklists Network Accused of Diverting Over $100 Million to Hezbollah

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday it had imposed sanctions on an international network of 16 people and companies that allegedly diverted more than $100 million to Hezbollah since 2020.

Alexander Lukashenko the president of Belarus and spectators at the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, parade of May 9 in Minsk, Belarus. Minsk, Belarus - May 9 2020.

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Belarusian Fertilizer Companies and Bank

The United States has lifted sanctions on three Belarusian fertilizer companies and the country’s state investment bank in exchange for Belarus freeing 250 political prisoners, a move made as the war in Iran continues to drive fertilizer prices higher.

Nakhodka, Russia - July 31, 2022: The top view on Oil-storage tank with the tanker at a mooring.

Russia’s Shadow-Fleet Broker is Banking on Sanctions Lift and Oil Demand

A trader identified by The Wall Street Journal as a central figure in Russia’s shadow fleet has revived his oil business after the Iran war disrupted supplies from the Persian Gulf and boosted demand for Russian crude that had been stranded at sea.

Companies House sign on exterior of former government office building located in Westminster, London (closed 2022).

Companies House Dissolves IRGC-Linked Crypto Firm that Cited Fake Owner

Companies House has removed cryptocurrency exchange Zedxion Exchange Ltd. from the UK’s register of businesses after an investigative report by OCCRP found the firm used a fictitious director and misleading incorporation filings to conceal links to sanctioned Iranian tycoon Babak Zanjani.

Photo of a sign in Venezuela for the oil company PDVSA. — “PDVSA 5 de Julio” by Wilfredor (2009), Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Edited from the original. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PDVSA_5_de_Julio.jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

U.S. Lifts Major Restrictions on Venezuela’s PDVSA

The United States on Wednesday issued a general license broadly authorizing U.S. companies to do business with Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA, a move that could unlock new investment and eventually increase the country’s crude production capacity.

Marbella Puerto Banús beach, the most glamorous beach in costa del sol

Blacklisted by OFSI, Iran Banker Lives in Spanish Villa Bought with UK Firm

An Iranian banker sanctioned by Britain for allegedly helping finance the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) owns a luxury villa in Marbella through the Spanish subsidiary of a UK company.

The Treasury Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.

FL Brokerage to Pay $1.1mn for Failing to ID Human Error in Sanctions Controls

TradeStation Securities agreed to pay $1.11 million to settle potential civil liability for 481 apparent violations of U.S. sanctions rules after the Florida-based brokerage provided services to people in Iran, Syria, and Crimea.

Prominent UK Polo Patrons Tied to Alleged Illicit Funds at Shuttered Swiss Bank

U.S. officials have linked two prominent figures in English polo to an alleged scheme to launder proceeds from the illicit sale of Venezuelan oil, according to a Financial Times report that cited a recent Treasury Department notice about the now-defunct Swiss lender MBaer Merchant Bank.