The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned four senior officials with the Law Enforcement Forces of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for their involvement in suppressing 2022 protests stemming from the arrest and death of Mahsa Jina Amini, who was accused of not correctly wearing a hijab. The designated officials are: Parviz Absalan, Amanollah Goshtasbi, Ahmed Khadem Seyedoshohada and Salman Adinehvand.

Two companies, one based in Taiwan and the other in Brunei, each must pay a fine of $83,769 and serve a five-year corporate probation term for conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and export laws by shipping U.S.-made goods to Iran, DOJ announced. Taiwan-based DES International and Brunei-based Soltech Industry, charged in 2020 (see 2011120006), both pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. and violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and were sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned three Nicaraguan judicial officials involved in human rights abuses conducted by President Daniel Ortega regime. The designations target Ernesto Leonel Rodriguez Mejia, Nadia Camila Tardencilla Rodriguez and Octavio Ernesto Rothschuh Andino, who preside over courts that affirmed decisions that revoked the citizenship of more than 300 Nicaraguan citizens for opposing the government.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control April 19 again extended a general license that continues to delay an exemption that would authorize certain transactions related to Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. General License 5K, which replaced GL 5J, now authorizes certain transactions with PdVSA involving an 8.5% bond on or after July 20. The agency also updated a frequently asked question to reflect the change. The previous license was set to allow those transactions to occur on or after April 20.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned one person and several entities involved in a sanctions evasion network that has helped Iran procure electronic parts for its unmanned aerial vehicles program. The designations target Mehdi Khoshghadam, the head of the sanctioned Pardazan System Namad Arman, along with several front companies based in Iran, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China, OFAC said April 19. Those companies are “suppliers that have enabled PASNA’s procurement of goods and technology,” including Amv AJ Nilgoun Bushehr, PASNA International, Arttronix International, Jotrin Electronics, Vohom Technology and Yinke Electronics.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week removed an entry for Indian national Manoj Sabharwal from its Specially Designated Nationals List. OFAC sanctioned Sabharwa in 2021 for ties to a smuggling network that funds Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and the Houthis in Yemen (see 2106110018). The agency didn’t release more information on the removal.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned 52 people and entities working as part of a “vast” international money laundering and sanctions evasion network for Hezbollah financier and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Nazem Said Ahmad (see 1912130023). The designations target companies in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, the U.K. and Hong Kong for helping Ahman avoid U.S. restrictions and finance his “luxurious lifestyle,” OFAC said.

The U.S. this week warned ship owners and service providers of new “deceptive practices” being used by Russia to evade the oil price cap, particularly for oil exported through the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and ports on the eastern coast of Russia. Shippers, traders and others should watch for several red flags to avoid helping Russia evade the cap, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in an April 17 alert.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five individuals in China and Guatemala as well as two Chinese entities for supplying Mexican drug cartels with precursor chemicals for illegal fentanyl production, OFAC said in a news release last week.

The U.S. this week announced new Russia-related trade restrictions, adding 28 entities to the Commerce Department’s Entity List and more than 100 entries to the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals List. The measures target people and companies either operating in Russia, aiding the country’s war against Ukraine or helping Moscow evade sanctions.