Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 Presidential election put the Republican Party in charge of the White House and Congress for the first time in a decade. President-elect Trump ran as an anti-establishment candidate who departed from many traditional Republican positions and promised bold and in some respects controversial reforms.…
Both the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) have announced new amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) that continue to build upon existing licenses and authorizations facilitating trade with Cuba. …
Today, OFAC issued new General License J (“GL J”) authorizing non-U.S. persons to reexport certain “Eligible Aircraft” to Iran. Importantly, GL J only applies to temporary sojourns, meaning that any sales or leases (including wet leases) of aircraft to Iran would still require a specific license. Please click here to…
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated its FAQs for Cuba on April 21, 2016 with substantive guidance that addresses U-turn transactions, export policy, insurance, educational and humanitarian activities and leasing of property in Cuba. U-Turn Rules. OFAC amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) on March 16, 2016…
In advance of President Obama’s highly publicized trip to Cuba, the Administration took additional steps to ease restrictions on trade and travel with Cuba. These changes to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) have implications for the banking sector, shippers, the travel industry and other…
On January 27, 2016 the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and the Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published amendments to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (Link) and Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) (Link). These amendments further loosen aspects of the Cuba embargo…
With “Implementation Day” came the lifting of certain key U.S. and EU sanctions on the civil aviation industry. However, many prohibitions still remain, and licensing requirements may attach to U.S. persons or non-U.S. persons who seek to do business in Iran or operate airline services to/from Iran. Companies must continue…
With the arrival of “Implementation Day” on January 16, 2016, the EU has lifted all economic and financial sanctions related to the Iranian nuclear program. Some European non-nuclear sanctions on Iran, however, still remain in place. Furthermore, some EU companies could still be subject to U.S. primary and secondary sanction,…
Within days after the lifting of nuclear weapons-related sanctions against Iran, President Obama announced new sanctions against Iranian and other entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program. These sanctions, which were triggered by a recent missile test by Iran in violation of UN prohibitions, designated eleven Iranian, Chinese, and UAE entities and…
The front line of Iran sanctions compliance and enforcement has been the banking sector. With the arrival of “Implementation Day” under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), financial institutions and persons engaging in financial transactions face an adjusted, but still complex, sanctions environment. U.S. banks and their foreign branches will…