Articles Posted in Iran Sanctions

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On August 2, 2017, President Trump signed into law the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which strengthened U.S. sanctions on Russia, North Korea and Iran. CAATSA had been passed by overwhelming “veto-proof” majorities of Congress and President Trump signed the bill while expressing reservations concerning the limitations it placed on the President’s authority.

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On June 15, 2017, the Senate passed the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (S.722) by a vote of 98-2.  Included with the bill is a significant Russia sanctions amendment, the Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017, which would expand U.S. primary and secondary sanctions for Russia and limit the President’s ability to ease existing sanctions.

The bill represents a bi-partisan compromise among key legislators to advance Iran and Russia sanctions measures together. The House of Representatives is now beginning to consider its own Iran and Russia sanctions measure, with the potential for final legislation this fall. Continue reading →

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On December 15, 2016, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) provided updated guidance on what companies can expect in the event of the “snapback” of sanctions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).  Previously, OFAC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) had only offered the possibility of working with companies in the event of snapback.  The guidance offers assurances of a 180-day wind down period.  OFAC issued this clarification in response to many questions it received, but it is not intended to signal an expectation that the sanctions will snapback.

In addition, OFAC issued a new General License J-1 to replace General License J addressing the temporary sojourn of U.S.-origin aircraft in Iran.  The updated general license authorizes the temporary sojourn of U.S.-origin aircraft as part of a code sharing arrangement with an Iranian air carrier.  Our prior blog post on the issuance of General License J is available here.

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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. How his administration will govern and the extent to which its policies will be supported in Congress are key questions facing companies and investors.

This report comments on aspects of international trade, sanctions and export control policies that are currently at the forefront of discussion.

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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 view OFAC’s new General License J.

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There has been much discussion of U.S. and EU sanctions changes following Implementation Day under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”), but a number of countries had imposed sanctions for Iran and it is worth examining how other key markets are adjusting policy. In particular, Canada and Australia recently implemented amendments to their sanctions regimes pertaining to Iran.

Canada

Canada had maintained a broad and complex sanctions regime for Iran, as described below. Following the arrival of Implementation Day, Canada took action on February 5, 2016 to remove many of these sanctions, opening a wide variety of permitted economic activity.  The sanctions and export controls still in place include:

  • A reduced, but still substantial list of designated parties subject to asset freezes.
  • Export controls on dual-use and certain other strategic goods and technology. Applications for export permits will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but exports of more sensitive items normally will be denied.
  • Prohibition on trade in arms and related material as well as the export of goods, items, material and technology related to uranium enrichment.
  • The provision of property, technical or financial assistance and services to Iranian persons for the supply sale, transfer, manufacture or use of products whose export is prohibited.

These rules apply to persons in Canada and Canadian citizens and corporations wherever situated.

Canada’s sanctions regime has been imposed under the United Nations Act implemented by the Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolutions on Iran (“UN Regulations”) and the Special Economic Measures Act, implemented by the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations (“SEMA Regulations”).  With the reforms of February 5, 2016, the following key restrictions have been removed:

  • Prohibitions against engaging in and financing the Iranian oil and gas sector or providing services to Iranian vessels.
  • Prohibitions against engaging with the Iranian financial sector including the prohibition on opening of correspondent banking accounts in Canada.
  • The blanket prohibition on exports to Iran and imports from Iran expect for sensitive items discussed above.
  • The prohibition on making investments in Iranian entities.

Australia

Like Canada, Australia had maintained a complex sanctions regime for Iran. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has announced that it will implement plans to lift nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions by making changes to the Charter of the United Nations (Sanctions-Iran) Regulations 2008 and suspending certain provisions of the Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011.  Australian law will generally permit business with Iran with the following continuing limitations:

  • There will be a reduced, but still substantial list of designated parties subject to asset freezes.
  • Australia will continue to maintain anti-money laundering controls for Iran. Under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (Iran Countermeasures) Regulations 2014, Australian financial institutions are prohibited from providing certain designated services to Iranian persons and entities for transactions exceeding AUD 20,000 unless exempted by the DFAT.
  • Restrictions on export to Iran of arms and related material, including some dual use goods, remains in place.

Australia’s revised rules with respect to Iran will no longer prohibit:

  • Exports, including – equipment and technology for the oil, gas and petrochemical industry; vessels for transport and storage of oil and gas; gold, diamonds and precious metals; newly issued Iranian bank notes; and certain naval equipment and technology.
  • Imports, including – crude oil, petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas products; and gold, diamonds and precious metals from the Government of Iran.
  • Provision of technical advice or financial assistance and service for the export of certain goods such as oil and gas, naval equipment or gold, diamonds and precious metals.
  • Investment in Iranian companies in the oil, gas and petrochemical sector. Likewise, Iranian entities will be able to invest in Australia’s oil, gas and financial services sector including the establishment of representative offices, subsidiaries and correspondent banking relationships with Australian financial institutions.

Continued monitoring of legal risk

The amendments to the Australian and Canadian sanctions regimes, and continuing sanctions, should be considerations for businesses and banks with exposure to Iran-related transactions or Iranian customers.

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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 to navigate this complex sanctions framework if seeking to engage in Iran’s aviation sector.

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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, as well as export control provisions.   Continue reading →

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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 individuals who were determined to be involved in procurement activities on behalf of Iran’s ballistic missile program. These entities and individuals (list found here) have been added to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List.

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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. Continue reading →