At a recent press briefing, a State Department official stated that the U.S. is trying to increase pressure on former Cote d'Ivoire President Gbagbo to further isolate him. The official also noted that Gbagbo's threat to nationalize the cocoa industry in an effort to gain funds clearly show that the sanctions that the U.S. has leveled against him are having an effect. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/06/11 news, 11010648, for BP summary of OFAC's sanctions against Gbagbo and others pursuant to Executive Order 13396.)
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida has announced that Felipe Echeverry, Amparo Echeverri Valdes, and Carlos Alfredo Pantoja-Coral, of Colombia, and Diego Echeverri, of New York, were indicted on various counts1 for illegally attempting to export twenty-two F-5 jet fighter engines to Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is removing the name of one individual, Joko Pitono of Indonesia, whose property and interests in property have been blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13224, "Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support Terrorism, from the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons." The removal of this individual from the SDN List is effective as of March 17, 2011.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has identified 14 companies owned by Libya’s National Oil Corporation, as subject to sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13566, pursuant to which U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in business with these companies.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control announces that effective March 18 and March 23, 2011, respectively, it is revoking General License No. 1 and General License No.3 issued pursuant to the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations. General License No. 1 authorized certain transactions related to the arrest, detention, and judicial sale of the MV Sabalan, MV Sahand, and MV Tuchal; and General License No. 3 authorized certain transactions related to the arrest, detention, and judicial sale of the MV First Ocean and MV Second Ocean, five vessels on OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is publishing the names of 26 entities, including 24 shipping companies affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13382, “Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators and Their Supporters," effective January 13, 2011. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/14/11 news, 11011404, for previous BP summary of these designations.)
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued General License No. 3 under Executive Order 13566, which authorizes the provision of certain legal services to or on behalf of the Government of Libya, its agencies, instrumentalities, and controlled entities, including the Central Bank of Libya, or any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to EO 13566, provided that all receipts of payment of professional fees and reimbursement of incurred expenses must be specifically licensed. The complete text of General License No. 3 is available here. (See ITT's Online Archives or 03/07/11 and 03/02/11 news, 11030747 and 11030260, for BP summaries of OFAC's issuance of General License Nos. 1A and 2 under EO 13566, respectively.)
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued General License No. 1A pursuant to Executive Order 13566. General License No. 1 has been replaced and superseded in its entirety by General License No. 1A, which clarifies the scope of the authorization for transactions related to third-country Libyan-owned or controlled banks. General License No. 1A authorizes all transactions involving banks that are owned or controlled by the Government of Libya and organized under the laws of a country other than Libya, provided the transactions do not otherwise involve the Government of Libya or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/28/11 news, 11022855, for BP summary of OFAC's issuance of General License No. 1.)
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is publishing the name of one newly-designated entity, Bank Refah, whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13382, “Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators and Their Supporters,” effective February 17, 2011. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/17/11 news, 11021745, for previous BP summary of this designation.)
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued General License No. 2 under Executive Order 13566, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Libya.” General License No. 2 authorizes the provision of goods and services in the U.S. to the diplomatic missions of the Government of Libya to the U.S. and the United Nations, and to the employees of such diplomatic missions, as well as payment for such goods and services, under certain conditions. The complete text of General License No. 2 is available here.