Sanctions

The Trump administration has extended for about a month a sanctions exemption covering some Russian oil already at sea, reversing course just two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States would not renew the waiver.

The European Union will widen the criteria for its Iran sanctions regime to include people and entities responsible for obstructing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Five of the world’s largest banks have been drawn into allegations that they unwittingly processed payments tied to a sanctions-evasion and money-laundering scheme benefiting Iran.

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.

The U.S. Treasury on Friday imposed sanctions on seven Iraqi militia commanders in what it called “Economic Fury,” targeting figures it said were responsible for planning, directing and carrying out attacks on U.S. personnel.

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. 

Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has charged shipping financier John Michael Ormerod with alleged money laundering and breaches of Russia sanctions.

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. 

Telegram is still hosting Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language black market that British officials have levied sanctions on and accused of facilitating crypto scams and human trafficking.

The Trump administration eased sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run financial system on Tuesday in a move aimed at supporting the country’s battered economy, reviving oil-sector activity, and stabilizing the government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez.