On 10 and 11 September 2024, the US, UK and France and Germany took coordinated action in response to Iran’s support for Russia’s war effort and, in particular, the supply of ballistic missiles by Iran to Russia for use in Ukraine. The measures announced include restrictions on Iran’s national airline, Iran Air, travel bans and asset freezes on Iranian individuals and organisations involved in ballistic missile and drone supply chains, and new Russian shipping sector…
On August 9, 2024, the US, EU, UK and Canada released a joint statement announcing new sanctions against Belarus, referring to the fourth anniversary of fraudulent presidential elections in Belarus that resulted in Alexander Lukashenko remaining in power. These authorities cited Belarus’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and ongoing human rights abuses in Belarus as the motivations for the latest round of sanctions. Members of our global sanctions team in the US,…
The Middle East is an increasingly important jurisdiction for Western governments from a Russia sanctions foreign policy perspective, as there is a perception that increased trade flows between the Middle East and Russia means that Western sanctions are effectively being circumvented. Companies in the Middle East may have concerns about triggering EU / UK / US sanctions jurisdiction, or being directly designated by Western governments for engaging in activities deemed to be contrary to the…
On June 12, 2024, the US Departments of Treasury and Commerce issued new sanctions and export controls in response to Russia’s continued war in Ukraine. Below we outline key categories of these new and expanded trade measures designed to restrict the flow of support to the Russian military-industrial base. The new sanctions issued by the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) are directed at Russia’s foundational financial infrastructure and access to…