The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated 490 entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List to reflect April changes made to the North Korea Sanctions Regulations (see 2004090026), OFAC said in an Oct. 19 notice. OFAC updated the entries to show they may be subject to a prohibition on “persons that are owned or controlled by a U.S. financial institution and established or maintained outside” the U.S.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 19 sanctioned three people and seven entities for counter-terrorism and Iran-related reasons. The first set of designations target Australia-based al-Qaida-associated facilitator Ahmed Luqman Talib and his company, Talib and Sons, for supporting al-Qaida.

The Treasury Department issued updated guidance on Hong Kong-related sanctions and the State Department issued a report to Congress under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, the agencies said Oct. 14.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated a Nicaraguan financial institution and two government officials for undermining Nicaragua’s democracy, OFAC said Oct. 9. The sanctions target Cooperativa De Ahorro Y Credito Caja Rural Nacional RL, a bank that is “not subject to traditional regulatory oversight,” and Nicaraguan Attorney General Ana Julia Guido De Romero and Secretary of the Presidency Paul Herbert Oquist Kelley.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a range of sanctions targeting 17 major Iranian banks for operating in the country’s financial sector and one Iranian bank for being affiliated with the Iranian military. The agency also issued a general license authorizing certain transactions with the banks and announced a 45-day wind-down period for activities involving non U.S. people and companies.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 6 extended a general license related to Petroleos de Venezuela and updated a frequently asked question. General License No. 5E, which replaced No. 5D (see 2007150018), authorizes certain transactions with PdVSA involving an 8.5% bond on or after Jan. 19, 2021. OFAC updated a Venezuela FAQ to reflect the change. The license was scheduled to expire Oct. 20.

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A group of human rights lawyers and law professors sued the Trump administration over its sanctions against the International Criminal Court, saying the measures violate freedom of speech laws and the U.S. Constitution. The group said the sanctions (see 2009300003) -- which the administration said are designed to target ICC officials for “harassment” and “abuse” of U.S. government officials (see 2006110028) -- will affect worldwide support for international justice.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned eight people for their roles in the illegitimate Belarusian presidential election this summer, OFAC said in an Oct. 2 press release. The designations target Belarus’ Minister of the Interior Yuriy Khadzymuratavich Kareau, Deputy Minister of the Interior Alyaksandr Pyatrovich Barsukou and commander and deputy commander of the Minister of the Interior’s Internal Troops Yuriy Henadzievich Nazaranka and Khazalbek Bakhtsibekavich Atabekau, respectively. OFAC also sanctioned Ivan Uladzimiravich Kubrakou and Dzmitriy Uladzimiravich Balaba, who lead organizations that detain peaceful protestors in Minsk, and Vadzim Dzmitrievich Ipatau and Alena Mikalaeuna Dmukhayla, senior election commission officials. The U.S. sanctions follow similar designations by the United Kingdom and Canada (see 2009300011).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 30 sanctioned a Cuban national for helping his country’s government oppress Cubans and Venezuelans. The designations targeted Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja, the head of the Cuban military-owned conglomerate Grupo de Administracion Empresarial S.A., the State Department said. Funds generated from the conglomerate are used to “oppress the Cuban people and to fund Cuba’s parasitic, colonial domination of Venezuela,” the State Department said.