A U.S. official's threat last month of economic sanctions against four Chinese banks is likely to be toothless given economic and enforcement hurdles, say sanctions analysts.
The U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions arm Tuesday blacklisted a Hamburg, Germany-based bank for its alleged ties to four blacklisted Iranian banks.
The U.S. Treasury Department Tuesday blacklisted seven individuals and 22 organizations, including two banks in Belarus and one in Iran over their alleged ties to Iran's nuclear program.
Businesses and individuals seeking to evade sanctions that target Iran and other nations may be utilizing back-to-back letters of credit to disguise their roles in transactions, say trade analysts.
Additional banking and trade restrictions that target the finance and supply of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs were passed by the U.N. Security Council Wednesday.
The total assets frozen by the United States because of purported ties to terrorism fell five percent in 2009 from the previous year, the U.S. Treasury Department said Monday.
The U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted four companies and one person tied to Iran's elite military branch Wednesday amid efforts to coalesce international support to restrict business with the Persian country.
Senate Follows House in Passing Measure Against Companies That Aid Iran
The Senate Banking Committee Thursday unanimously approved legislation that would enable the White House to impose fresh sanctions against companies that import refined petroleum to Iran.
If talks between Iran and global powers founder, the United States will likely lobby the United Nations to blacklist at least one of two Iranian government-owned banks, say sanctions analysts.
U.S. sanctions regulators are planning to fine an Australian bank $20 million for allowing suspicious transactions in branches in New York and American Samoa, according to an Australian news report.
Government authorities Wednesday sued to seize tens of millions of dollars in assets from a New York management company they say acted as a front for a blacklisted Iranian bank.
The U.S. Treasury Department added Iran's national oil company and its subsidiaries to its list of Iranian-owned entities Wednesday, effectively prohibiting most transactions with the companies.
The U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted a record number of individuals and organizations in fiscal year 2008, the same period when it lifted a record number of sanctions, a U.S. official said Thursday.
The U.S. Treasury Department called on financial institutions Thursday to stop processing dollar transactions involving Iran, even when no American parties are involved.
The U.S. State Department imposed economic sanctions on companies in China, Russia and Venezuela for allegedly selling components that could help Iran, North Korea and Syria develop weapons of mass destruction.
The U.S. Senate banking committee approved a bill that would ratchet up economic pressure on Iran and increase the budgets of two government agencies that enforce sanctions and counter-terrorist financing regulations.
The U.K. and the European Union will freeze the assets of Iran's largest bank, Bank Melli, over Iran's alleged plans to build a nuclear weapons program, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today during a joint press conference with President George Bush.
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said Thursday that the global financial community should regard transactions involving Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Northern Cyprus and São Tomé and Príncipe as high risks for money laundering.
Over the past nine months U.S. officials have met with more than 40 banks to push for stronger international sanctions against Iran.
The measure, which names Bank Sepah a financial supporter of illicit weapons proliferation, has the added force of following a U.N. resolution against Iran. That elevates the pressure U.S. allies to follow suit.