Sanction Law
Your Guide to the Office of Foreign Assets Control

Sanction Law is a resource for those seeking information on OFAC administered sanctions programs. This blog tracks the latest developments in the field of U.S. economic sanctions, offers commentary on their practical applications, and serves as a community for discussion on OFAC related matters.

In recent months, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has engaged in a new trend: the designation of parties to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) who are incarcerated … Continue reading

With the Iranian Presidential elections exactly one month away the U.S. has taken the opportunity to ratchet up sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Last week, both the President and Congress took aim at Iran vis a vis the utilization of … Continue reading

As sanctions have increased over the years, planning a trip to Tehran has gotten progressively more difficult. A brief review of a number of popular online travel booking services bears this out, as each site has a different method of … Continue reading

Last Week President Obama reaffirmed the national emergency in respect to Burma (Myanmar) thereby extending the Burmese sanctions program. Regardless of this extension the U.S. has eased sanctions on Burma significantly in recent months. For example, the administration eased some … Continue reading

Last week the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (USAO SDNY) announced the extradition of Jose Evaristo Linares Castillo, a Specially Designated Foreign Narcotics Trafficking Kingpin (SDNTK) as designated by the United States Department of … Continue reading

It’s always an exciting day when the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announces the removal of parties from their list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List). The reason for this … Continue reading

Last week, the United States Department of the Treasury designated two Lebanese exchange houses under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act as financial institutions of primary money laundering concern. The two exchanges houses that were designated, Kassem Rmeiti & … Continue reading

A few years ago I was sitting down at lunch with a friend who was a former employee of the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). During that lunch she mentioned that OFAC was … Continue reading

Last week the United States Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released new guidelines for submission of electronic documents to OFAC’s Office of Enforcement. While, OFAC’s Compliance Division handles the investigations of sanctions violations by depository institutions, … Continue reading

Today, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that they were removing 12 names from the OFAC List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List). A review of the names removed … Continue reading