On October 9, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) added the entire International Criminal Court (“ICC”) to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”) pursuant to Executive Order 14203 (“EO 14203”) and issued four general licenses authorizing specified transactions involving the court. Designation of the ICC Under EO 14203 OFAC has designated the ICC under section 1(a)(ii)(A) of EO 14203. The ICC designation follows OFAC’s…
On October 5, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published an alert (the “Alert”) warning that foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”) that continue to transact with sanctioned Iranian financial institutions “could be targeted at any time without advance notification.” OFAC also amended Iran-related FAQ 156 to remove earlier language indicating that OFAC would generally contact an FFI about its conduct before making a finding that the FFI knowingly engaged…
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has restructured the location of penalty and enforcement procedure provisions within its regulations. On September 25, 2026, OFAC published a final rule creating 31 CFR Part 505, the Sanctions Penalties Regulations. Then, on September 30, 2026, OFAC issued a second related rule removing superseded penalties provisions and reorganizing remaining parts. These regulatory updates memorialize OFAC’s existing practices with enforcement matters but do not…
Earlier this month, as part of Operation Economic Outcast targeting Iran, the US Department of the Treasury ushered in a flurry of administrative and regulatory changes. On September 10, 2026, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) modified its Iran-related specific licensing policy, announced a settlement agreement, and updated the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”). These changes landed two days after OFAC’s September 8, 2026 action against Iran’s aviation sector, which…