The US Treasury's sanctions office added 14 individuals and 5 entities to its blacklist under counter-terrorism and Iran programmes. The listings span Iraq, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Syria. OFAC also said Iran-related specific licence applications would immediately be considered under a presumption of denial, while retaining legally required and safety-based exceptions.
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added 14 individuals and 5 entities to the American blacklist under counter-terrorism and Iran programmes. The notice lists 7 people and 2 entities in Iraq, 4 people and 2 entities in Lebanon, and 2 people and 1 entity in the United Arab Emirates. A person is also listed under Turkey and Syria. The action forms part of Operation Economic Outcast, a campaign led by the Treasury.[1]
In the same notice, OFAC said Iran-related specific licence applications would, with immediate effect, be considered under a presumption of denial. That does not mean every application is rejected without review; it establishes the starting position for consideration. The office retained exceptions where the law requires authorisation and in specified circumstances involving risks to life, limb or environmental safety. The notice also announced a settlement agreement between the office and an individual.[1]
The national sanctions action was announced on the day the Security Council kept a briefing on its Iran sanctions committee on the agenda. 11 Council members voted in favour, Russia and China voted against, and 2 members abstained. Even so, no chair has been elected for the 1737 committee and no panel of experts has been appointed to monitor implementation. OFAC's notice is a separate action under US law, not an outcome of the Council vote or a substitute multilateral decision.[1], [2]
