The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed a general license that authorizes certain transactions related to safety and environmental measures for certain sanctioned vessels. General License 21B, which replaces GL 21A, is valid through 12:01 a.m. April 13. The license was scheduled to expire Jan. 14 (see 2212140028)). OFAC also updated Frequently Asked Question 1097 to reflect the update.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control Dec. 30 fined a multinational Danish-based refrigeration manufacturer more than $4.3 million for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, Syria and Sudan. Danfoss, which also sells air conditioners and other cooling and heating products, illegally directed customers in all three countries to make payments through a U.S. financial institution, OFAC said in an enforcement notice. The company also made illegal payments to entities in Iran and Syria.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control published guidance this week on a September general license that expanded the types of internet and communications services and exports that can be provided to Iran (see 2209230037). General License D2 made several “key changes” to GL D1, OFAC said in a new frequently asked question, including language to “expand and clarify the range” of U.S. software and services that can be provided to Iranians.

Export Compliance Daily is providing this recap of export control and sanctions enforcement over the past year to assist export compliance professionals, lawyers and others in staying up to date with current enforcement trends. This guide summarizes the most notable enforcement actions by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Department of Justice since Jan. 1, 2022.

Behrouz Mokhtari of McLean, Virginia, and Tehran pleaded guilty Jan. 9 to two conspiracies to violate U.S. sanctions on Iran "by engaging in business activities on behalf of Iranian entities" without getting a license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, DOJ announced. Mokhtari will forfeit money, property and assets obtained from the schemes, including a Campbell, California, home, and a money judgment of over $2.8 million, DOJ said. The defendant faces a maximum of five years in prison for each of the two conspiracy counts.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week issued Venezuela-related General License 31B, which replaces General License 31A (see 2101040025), authorizes U.S. persons to engage in transactions otherwise prohibited by sanctions involving the Venezuelan National Assembly seated on Jan. 5, 2016, and associated entities and people. The new license removes a reference to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, since he was ousted by the opposition party's National Assembly last month. OFAC also amended five frequently asked questions related to the license and the Venezeula sanctions.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added seven people to its Specially Designated Nationals List in connection with Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle shipments to Russia, it said in a Jan. 6 news release. The designees are six executives and board members of previously designated Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), an Iranian defense manufacturer that designs and produces UAVs being transferred to Russia for use in Ukraine. OFAC also sanctioned the director of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization, the "key organization responsible for overseeing Iran’s ballistic missile programs." The agency also updated QAI’s entry on the SDN List to include its new alias, Light Airplanes Design and Manufacturing Industries.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated four people and two entities associated with the financial facilitation network of the Islamic State group, according to a Jan 5. news release. The network enabled the group’s recruitment and financing into and out of Iraq and Syria. The sanctions focus on the Islamic State group's head of foreign financing, Abd Al Hamid Salim Ibrahim Ismail Brukan al-Khatuni, and his network coordinated by his sons. Turkey's Treasury and Interior ministries also implemented an asset freeze against members of this network.

Danfoss -- the Danish company fined more than $4.3 million last month for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, Syria and Sudan (see 2212300030) -- stressed it didn't sell items subject to sanctions or export controls and has taken steps to improve its compliance program. In a Dec. 30 statement, it also said "no evidence was found that Danfoss willfully accepted payments for the purpose of potentially evading sanctions." The company noted that the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Danfoss "took quick action to ascertain the root causes of the conduct at issue, cooperated fully with OFAC, and also adopted new and more effective internal controls and procedures to prevent a recurrence of the apparent violations." The company added its last shipment to Iran "took place in January 2019."