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☆ US, UK issue Iran sanctions ahead of anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Demonstrators at a Freedom Rally for Iran, protesting in support of Iranian women and against the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 1, 2022. Amini, 22, died on Sept. 16 last year after being arrested for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic's mandatory dress code. Her death sparked months of anti-government protests that marked the biggest show of opposition to Iranian authorities in years. The U.S. States and Britain, along with the European Union, have announced multiple rounds of sanctions against Iran, citing the widespread and often violent crackdown on protests after the death of Amini. The sanctions target LEF spokesperson Saeed Montazerolmehdi, multiple LEF and IRGC commanders, and Iran’s Prisons Organization chief Gholamali Mohammadi.

Persons: Bing Guan, Mahsa Amini, Antony Blinken, Saeed Montazerolmehdi, Gholamali Mohammadi, Alireza Abedinejad, Brian Nelson, Rami Ayyub, Susan Heavey, Daphne Psaledakis, Chizu Nomiyama, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Hall, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Iran, Police, U.S . Treasury Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Enforcement Forces, Iran's Prisons, Iran’s Prisons Organization, Douran Software, Press, Tasnim News Agency, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Iran, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Britain, States, Iran’s, Canada, Australia, Fars, United States, Tehran

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. Treasury on Tuesday slapped terrorism sanctions on a family network of seven individuals and businesses in Lebanon and South America accused of financing the militant group Hezbollah, including a Lebanese man who officials say was involved in two deadly attacks in Argentina in the 1990s. The Iran-backed group is designated a “foreign terrorist organization," and Washington also claims that the group has been involved in drug trafficking in Latin America to generate revenue. Rada, according to the Treasury, spent over a decade in South America before relocating to Lebanon. Political Cartoons View All 1154 ImagesRada's brother, Samer, was also sanctioned and accused of being involved in various drug trafficking and money laundering operations across Latin America. The Treasury also slapped sanctions on Lebanon-based company Black Diamond SARL and owner Ali Ismail Ajrouch.

Persons: Amer Mohamed Akil Rada, ”, “, Brian Nelson, Mehdi Akil Helbawi, Diamond SARL, Ali Ismail Ajrouch Organizations: Treasury, Argentine, Israelite Mutual Association, Embassy, Rada, BCI Technologies Locations: BEIRUT, U.S, Lebanon, South America, Lebanese, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Iran, Washington, America, Colombia, Latin America, Belize, El Salvador, Venezuelan

☆ Russia's economy is being propped up by Wagner Group's gold-smuggling operations, UK government report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's economy is being sustained by the Wagner Group's gold smuggling operations, the UK government says. A report says the mercenary group has been sneaking "significant" amounts of gold out of Sudan. That gold is then used in trade that's boosting Russia's economy, it added, despite the nation being targeted by western sanctions amid Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. "Wagner's gold-smuggling operations from Sudan are significant, with one calling them 'critical to Russia's ability to withstand significant sanctions deployed against it for its illegal invasion in Ukraine,'" the report said. And though Putin has downplayed the effect of sanctions, non-government statistics show that Russia's economy is spiraling and in a far worse state than it appears, two Yale researchers said.

Persons: Wagner, Brian Nelson, Putin Organizations: Service, US Treasury, United Arab, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial, Wagner Groups, EU, Yale Locations: Sudan, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, Mali, United States, Africa

☆ Senior US Treasury official to raise Russia grain deal in visit to Kenya, Somalia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) - A top U.S. Treasury official will highlight Washington's efforts to facilitate Russian grain and fertilizer exports during a visit to Kenya and Somalia and stress that Moscow's exit from the Black Sea grain deal will hurt African states, a spokesperson said on Monday. This week's visit by Brian Nelson, Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to host African leaders in St. Petersburg on Thursday and Friday and promises them free Russian grain "to replace Ukrainian grain." BLACK SEA GRAIN DEALRussia quit the deal allowing Black Sea exports of Ukrainian grain last week, saying that demands to improve its own food and fertilizer exports had not been met, and that not enough Ukraine grain had reached the poorest countries under the Black Sea deal. Since Russia quit the deal and began attacking Ukrainian food-exporting ports on the Black Sea and Danube river, global wheat and corn futures prices have risen sharply. The Black Sea grain deal was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey a year ago to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Brian Nelson, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Nelson, Russia's, Daphne Psaledakis, Don Durfee, Cynthia Osterman, Sonali Paul Organizations: U.S, Treasury, Reuters, Biden, Islamic, Black, Thomson Locations: Kenya, Somalia, St . Petersburg, Nelson's, Africa, East Africa, U.S, Nairobi, Somalia's, Mogadishu, Islamic State, al Shabaab, Sudan, Russia, Ukrainian, Turkey, Ukraine, Moscow

RBI has not yet outlined its plan to supervisors at the European Central Bank (ECB), two people with knowledge of its dealings with the central bank said, making a spin-off unlikely by September. Furthermore, the approval of Russia's central bank, finance ministry and, in the event of a sale, even Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be needed before RBI acts. The ECB urged RBI not to pay a dividend this year because of its concerns over Russia, one of the people said. Austria's central bank and the ECB declined to comment. Another source said he has urged the U.S. not to pressure RBI.

Persons: Raiffeisen, Vladimir Putin, UniCredit, month's Wagner, Robert Holzmann, Christine Lagarde, Magnus Brunner, Brian Nelson, Francesco Canepa, John O'Donnell, Alexander Smith Organizations: Raiffeisen, Reuters, Austrian, European Central Bank, ECB, Treasury, Foreign Assets, OFAC, U.S, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, Russia, Austria, Moscow, U.S, Ukraine, Europe, Washington, Vienna, Soviet, Austrian, United States, Frankfurt

☆ Wagner chief Prigozhin is in Belarus following armed rebellion, Lukashenko says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Katharina Krebs Paul P. Murphy Natasha Bertrand Jennifer Hansler Helen Regan | Katharina Krebs | Paul P. Murphy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“I want everyone to know about this: the maintenance of the entire Wagner group was fully provided for by the state,” Putin claimed. “In terms of nuclear weapons, most of them were already brought to Belarus, I won’t say how many. It’s surprising that they didn’t trace it,” Lukashenko said, according to Belarus state media. “Russians and Belarusians are guarding it… No Wagner fighters will guard nuclear weapons. This is our task.”If Lukashenko’s remarks are correct, it would be the first time Belarus has had nuclear weapons on its territory since the early 1990s.

Persons: CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, “, ” Lukashenko, hasn’t, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ”, BlackSky, ” Putin, Putin’s, ” “, Brian Nelson, ’ Wagner, Lukashenko, CNN Lukashenko –, –, ” Wagner, Prigozhin Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Federal Security Service, Defense Ministry, Prigozhin, European Union, Wagner, US Treasury Department, Wagner Group, Central African, Treasury, Belarus ‘ Locations: Belarus, Rostov, Belarusian, Minsk, Moscow, Russian, Concord, Africa, Sudan, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Mali, United States, Luhansk, Russia

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on companies in the United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic and Russia, accusing them of illicit gold dealings to fund Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force. "The Wagner Group funds its brutal operations in part by exploiting natural resources in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali. The Wagner Group did not immediately respond to the U.S. allegations. The U.S. State Department ahead of the announcement said that the action against Wagner was unrelated to an aborted mutiny last weekend. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk and Costas Pitas; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Brian Nelson, Vladimir Putin, Diamville, Andrey Nikolayevich Ivanov, Midas Ressources, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk, Costas Pitas, Jonathan Oatis, Grant McCool Organizations: United Arab, Russia's Wagner Group, U.S . Treasury Department, Wagner Group, Central African, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, U.S . State Department, Russia, Industrial, Trading, United, Wagner, Treasury, Industrial Resources, Thomson Locations: United States, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Russia, U.S, Ukraine, Africa, Mali, Libya, Syria, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas, African Republic, Dubai, Saharan Africa, Washington, Russian

☆ US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Chinese targets over Tehran's missile, military programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York and China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. China has been a major buyer of Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions designed to choke off these exports. Washington targeted centrifuge sales to Parchin Chemical Industries (PCI), dual-use metals sales to its intermediary, P.B. Co., Ltd, which the Treasury accused of selling centrifuges and other equipment and services worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to PCI with P.B. Sadr and PCI, as well as the other companies, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Persons: Davoud Damghani, Brian Nelson, Sadr, Zhejiang Qingji, Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Arshad Mohammed, David Brunnstrom, Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: . Treasury, Armed Forces Logistics, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, United Nations, Parchin Chemical Industries, PCI, Zhejiang Qingji, P.B, Treasury, Hong, Hong Kong Ke.Do International Trade Co, Qingdao Zhongrongtong Trade, Co, Thomson Locations: United States, Iran, China, Hong Kong, Beijing, U.S, Washington, Tehran, New York, . Sadr, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Qingji Ind, Sadr, Qingdao

☆ U.S. sanctions target Russian influence campaign in Moldova
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - The United States imposed sanctions on Monday on members of a Russian intelligence-linked group for their role in Moscow's efforts to destabilize democracy and influence elections in Moldova, the Treasury Department said. The new sanctions target seven Russian individuals, some of whom maintain ties to Russian intelligence services, the department said in a statement. They include the group's leader, Konstantin Prokopyevich Sapozhnikov, who organized the plot to destabilize the government of Moldova in early 2023, it said. The group's members provoke, train and oversee groups in democratic countries and conduct anti-government protests, rallies, marches and demonstrations, it added. Brian Nelson, the department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Monday's sanctions expose Russia's ongoing efforts to destabilize democratic nations.

Persons: Konstantin Prokopyevich Sapozhnikov, Yury Yuryevich Makolov, Gleb Maksimovich Khloponin, Aleksey Vyacheslavovich Losev, Svetlana Andreyevna Boyko, Vasily Viktorovich Gromovikov, Nicu Popescu, Brian Nelson, Doina Chiacu, Tim Ahmann, Will Dunham, Mark Porter Organizations: Treasury Department, European Union, Facebook, Thomson Locations: United States, Russian, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Canada

☆ US sanctions Iranian officials accused of plotting assassinations abroad including against Bolton and Pompeo
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials accused of plotting assassinations abroad, including against former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Ansari, with the support of Shahram Poursafi (Poursafi), an Iranian national, planned and attempted to assassinate two former U.S. government officials,” the Treasury Department said. Pompeo was also a target of the Iranian assassination plot, according to a federal law enforcement source familiar with the investigation and a source close to Pompeo. Seraj “has been involved in failed IRGC-IO operations in Asia and in intelligence operations targeting U.S. citizens,” it said. “Seraj previously led the IRGC-IO Special Operations Division, which is focused on special activity against Israel, where he was responsible for a series of failed operations targeting Israeli nationals,” it added.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, Mohammad Reza Ansari, “ Ansari, Shahram, Poursafi, Bolton, Bush, Qasem Soleimani, Pompeo, Hossein Hafez Amini, “, Rey Havacilik, Sirketi, – Rouhallah Bazghandi, Reza Seraj, Bazghandi “, ” “ Bazghandi, Seraj “, “ Seraj, Brian Nelson, ” Organizations: Washington CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Force, US Treasury Department, Treasury Department, US Justice Department, Trump, Turkish, Rey, Rey Airlines, IRGC Intelligence Organization, Division, Treasury, Terrorism, Financial Locations: United States, East, Europe, Africa, Iranian, Rey, Türkiye, Iraq, Syria, Istanbul, ”, Asia, Israel

☆ US sanctions Chinese and Mexican firms over fentanyl making equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl constitute a leading cause of these deaths, devastating thousands of American families each year,” he said. Officials also accused Chinese company Yason General Machinery of working with a Mexican supplier and contact who previously provided pill equipment to a person linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. That individual used the machines to create superlabs in Mexico with the capacity to produce millions of fentanyl-laced pills weekly, Treasury said. The Chinese Embassy in the United States condemned the US move late Tuesday. “The US sanctions against Chinese companies and citizens will add more obstacles to China-US counter-narcotics cooperation,” it added.

Persons: “, Brian Nelson, ”, Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, US Treasury Department, Treasury, Terrorism, Financial, Foreign Assets Control, Youli Technology, Machinery, Solutions, Embassy, US Centers for Disease Control Locations: Hong Kong, United States, China, Mexico, Mexican, Sinaloa

☆ US slaps sanctions on Chinese, Mexican entities in fentanyl action
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Treasury Department said it slapped sanctions on seven entities and six people based in China, as well as one business and three people based in Mexico. "Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl constitute a leading cause of these deaths, devastating thousands of American families each year. We remain committed to using all authorities against enablers of illicit drug production to disrupt this deadly global production and counter the threat posed by these drugs." The Biden administration has been pushing for action as U.S. drug-related overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 in 2021, according to government estimates. Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Biden, Brian Nelson, Liu Pengyu, Washington, brazenly, Liu, Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu, David Brunnstrom, Sharon Singleton, Jamie Freed Organizations: Treasury Department, Terrorism, Financial, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Washington, Reuters, Treasury, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Mexico, Beijing

☆ Yellen, at G7, to underscore U.S. commitment to Ukraine for 'as long as it takes'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Issei KatoNIIGATA, Japan, May 11 (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday will underscore the United States' commitment to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as needed, while working with other rich nations to degrade Russia's ability to wage war against its neighbor. "I look forward to coordinating with other G7 members to support Ukraine and degrade Russia’s ability to wage war," she said in the remarks released by Treasury as the war approaches its 450th day. "Since Day One, our countries have stood united to support the Ukrainian people as they have mounted a fierce resistance," she said. Yellen also said caps on the price of Russian oil and oil products, discussed by G7 finance ministers for the first time just a year ago, were clearly working just a few months after its implementation in December and February, respectively. While the price cap coalition was moving to phase out all imports of Russian oil, officials were urging developing countries "to save on their oil costs by taking advantage of the price cap to negotiate steep bargains on Russian oil," she said.

☆ U.S. shares with European banks ways Russia is evading sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. on Sunday said it shared information with European bankers, government officials and business leaders to clamp down on Russia's tactics to try to skirt Western sanctions. Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, held briefings last week in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Italy to promote more effective policing of sanctions imposed over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Treasury said in a statement. Nelson shared details on some of the most critical military goods that Russia is trying to acquire, including optical devices, electronics and manufacturing equipment, the Treasury said. Other warnings signs include frequent or last-minute changes of end-users or payees, or redirection of goods to third countries that have limited or no restrictions on re-exports to Russia, the department said. Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. imposes sanctions on Chinese companies in action over fentanyl
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Treasury said it also designated five people based in China and Guatemala in the action targeting fentanyl production. "Illicit fentanyl is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year," the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement. The Treasury in the statement said it slapped sanctions on China-based chemical companies Wuhan Shuokang Biological Technology Co Ltd and Suzhou Xiaoli Pharmatech Co Ltd, as well as four Chinese nationals. Also targeted was a Guatemala-based broker of fentanyl precursor chemicals, who the Treasury said buys fentanyl precursor on behalf of Mexico-based drug traffickers. Mexico and the United States on Thursday agreed to ramp up the fight against fentanyl trafficking.

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - Senior officials from the United States, Europe and Britain met on Thursday with financial institutions to brief them on efforts by Russia to evade Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, a senior U.S. Treasury official told reporters. The firms - from the United States, Britain and Europe - assured the officials that they were working hard to avert Russian efforts to evade sanctions and export controls, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Washington on Wednesday imposed sanctions on over 120 targets, including entities linked to Russian state-held energy company Rosatom and firms based in partner nations like Turkey in a sign of stepped-up enforcement. Treasury's top sanctions official, Undersecretary Brian Nelson, will visit Switzerland next week to discuss further moves to crack down on sanctions evasion, with additional stops in Italy, Austria and Germany, Reuters reported last week. Elizabeth Rosenberg, Treasury's assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crime, will travel separately to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

☆ U.S. imposes fresh sanctions on financial network linked to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration imposed fresh sanctions aimed at the financial network linked to Russian billionaire and business tycoon Alisher Usmanov. Last year, German authorities seized the world's largest superyacht following official confirmation that the vessel had links to Usmanov. Read more: World’s largest yacht, linked to Russian billionaire Usmanov, is seized by GermanyUsmanov and his superyacht entered the crosshairs of the U.S. and its allies following coordinated global sanctions on Russian elites with Kremlin ties. Last March, French authorities seized a massive yacht they say is linked to Igor Sechin, a Russian billionaire who is CEO of state oil company Rosneft. The Lady M, known to be the property of Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov, was previously seized in Italy.

The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury and State departments in concert with Britain, hit entities and individuals across over 20 countries and jurisdictions, including facilitators of sanctions evasion, the State Department said in a statement. Separately, the Treasury said it imposed sanctions on Russian financial facilitators and sanctions evaders around the world, including Turkey, United Arab Emirates and China-based people and companies. The Treasury also targeted King-Pai Technology HK Co, Ltd, which it said is a China-based supplier for multiple entities in Russia's military-industrial complex. Washington has not yet imposed sanctions on Rosatom itself. "It will always be a race between sanctions enforcement and sanctions evaders.

☆ China has not provided extensive assistance to Russia as part of its war against Ukraine even as the two countries forge closer ties, senior Treasury officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Sam Fossum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

One senior Treasury official said that China is, as of now, unwilling to provide material support to Russia at scale and in a significant way, pointing instead to Russian efforts to source material from North Korea and Iran. The US and its allies have also taken more direct action, sanctioning a Chinese satellite company providing intelligence to Russian forces in January and putting some Chinese companies on the US export control list. But in recent months officials have also begun to see some results from their public and private efforts. Turkish officials told the US last month that their government has been taking further action to block the transit of sanctioned goods directly to Russia, according to a source familiar with the discussion. In a speech earlier this year on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion, US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo publicly warned Russian intelligence services that the US is monitoring their efforts and is cracking down.

☆ U.S. says decentralized finance services being used for illicit transfers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - North Korea, cybercriminals, ransomware attackers, thieves and scammers are using decentralized finance (DeFi) services to transfer and launder their illicit proceeds, the U.S. Treasury Department warned on Thursday. In a new illicit finance risk assessment on decentralized finance, the Treasury found that illicit actors are exploiting vulnerabilities in U.S. and foreign anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regulation and enforcement as well the technology underpinning the services. DeFi services that fail to comply with these obligations to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing pose the most significant illicit finance risk in this domain, the assessment found. "Our assessment finds that illicit actors, including criminals, scammers, and North Korean cyber actors are using DeFi services in the process of laundering illicit funds," the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in the statement. Nelson added that the private sector should use the findings of the assessment to inform their risk mitigation strategies and to take steps to prevent illicit actors from using decentralized finance services.

Iran has acknowledged sending drones to Russia but said they were sent before Russia's February 2022 invasion on Ukraine. Moscow has denied its forces used Iranian drones in Ukraine. The U.S. move on Thursday comes after the United States has accused China of considering supplying arms to Russia and warned Beijing against such a move. Moscow and Tehran have moved to forge closer relations after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, prompting sweeping Western sanctions. Russia and Iran, which is also under Western sanctions, are among the world's largest oil exporters.

METALS AND MININGIn a significant widening of its Russia-related sanctions, Treasury announced a new determination by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that allows sanctions on any individual or entity operating in Russia's metals and mining sector. On Friday, it hit four mining and metals sector companies, including TPZ-Rondol, a unit of Russia's largest ammunition maker, for producing weapons for the Russian military, including the navy, the Treasury said. Among other entities hit on Friday were more than a dozen Russian banks. Another bank hit was MTS Bank, which is located in Moscow and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Brian Nelson, Treasury's top sanctions official raised concerns about UAE's decision to license the Russian bank during a visit to the country the week of Jan. 30.

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The United States will directly warn companies against evading U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said, as Washington seeks to further squeeze Russia's economy. "We're going to go directly to their companies and make very clear to their companies that you have a choice," Adeyemo said. The comments come amid signs that Russia's economy was not hit as heavily as initially expected by western sanctions. The International Monetary Fund last month forecast that Russia's economy would expand by 0.3% in 2023 after shrinking by 2.2% in 2022. "Russia's economy is very small, relative to our coalition, and getting smaller because of the actions that we've taken."

☆ U.S. Treasury to crack down on Russian sanctions evasion - Adeyemo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department will focus in coming months on cracking down on facilitators and third-country providers helping Russia evade Western sanctions, Treasury said on Friday. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told a meeting of academics and other experts on sanctions and U.S. foreign policy that Treasury will increase its focus on countering sanctions evasion, including by those who may "wittingly or unwittingly" help Russia replenish supplies needed for its military fighting in Ukraine. Treasury provided no immediate details on which "facilitators and third-party providers" would be targeted. The Treasury earlier this month imposed sanctions on 22 individuals and entities in multiple countries that it accused of being tied to a global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia's military-industrial complex. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. warned Turkey on exports seen to boost Russia's war effort, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Jonathan Spicer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brian Nelson, the U.S. Treasury Department's top sanctions official, visited Turkish government and private sector officials on Thursday and Friday to urge more cooperation in disrupting the flow of such goods. "There is no surprise...that Russia is actively looking to leverage the historic economic ties it has in Turkey," the official said. NATO member Ankara opposes the sweeping sanctions on Russia on principle but says they will not be circumvented in Turkey, urging the West to provide any evidence. At least $777 million of these products were made by Western firms whose chips have been found in Russian weapons systems. Nelson also visited the United Arab Emirates and Oman to reiterate that Washington will continue aggressively enforcing its sanctions, the Treasury said last week.

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