Last Week's Major Developments in Sanctions - August 17 to August 21, 2026

Monday, August 17

• There was no major development on this day.

  
  

Tuesday, August 18

• The U.S. State Department imposed blocking sanctions on two International Criminal Court (ICC) officials: President of the ICC and ICC Senior Trial Lawyer (Japan; Senegal) under its International Criminal Court-Related Sanctions Regulations pursuant to Executive Order 14203. The ICC-related designations targeted the officials for their roles in Court efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials of states that have not consented to ICC jurisdiction, per the U.S. Secretary of State's August 18 statement framing the action as part of a broader campaign against the Court's asserted authority over nationals of non-States Parties. Concurrent with the designations, OFAC issued International Criminal Court-related General License 12, authorizing wind-down transactions involving the officials or any entity in which either holds a 50% or greater interest, through 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 17, 2026, provided payments to the blocked persons are routed into a blocked interest-bearing U.S. account. (Here)

• OFAC imposed blocking sanctions on one entity based in the Virgin Islands under its Venezuela sanctions program. The Department of the Treasury did not provide any information about the reason behind this designation. (Here)

  
  

Wednesday, August 19

• FinCEN announced that it convened law enforcement and financial institutions in Los Angeles on August 17 through its FinCEN Exchange program to address health care benefits fraud, with particular focus on hospice care exploitation, covering emerging fraud typologies and red flag indicators; a related training session on August 18 covered using Bank Secrecy Act data to combat fraud. The engagement builds on FinCEN's prior advisory on health care fraud targeting Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal/state programs, and ties into the broader White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. (Here)

  
  

Thursday, August 20

• OFAC imposed blocking sanctions on eight individuals (all in Ecuador), seven entities (all in Ecuador) and 10 vessels (flagged in Ecuador) under its narcotics trafficking sanctions program for operating a maritime cocaine-smuggling network that exploits Ecuador's fishing industry to move cocaine from South America through the Eastern Pacific to Mexico for onward U.S. distribution. The network is led by the Mero family operating through Arcasdenoe, S.A. to refuel and resupply cocaine-laden go-fast vessels; certain designations also target material support to Los Choneros and Los Lobos, two Ecuadorian FTOs/SDGTs with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG. (Here)

• OFAC imposed blocking sanctions on 10 individuals (nine in Turkey and one in Iran) under its Counter-terrorism and Iran sanctions program for facilitating a bulk-cash smuggling network that uses commercial-airline couriers between Lebanon, Türkiye, the UAE, and Iran to give Hizballah access to foreign currency. It was also announced that OFAC separately re-designated Hizballah itself as being owned, controlled, or directed by the IRGC-Qods Force. (Here)

• The U.S. State Department imposed blocking sanctions on three individuals (all in Cuba) and nine entities (all in Cuba) under the Cuba sanctions program (EO 14404) targeting the leadership of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and state enterprises in Cuba's metals/mining and foreign-trade sectors. ICAP Leadership were designated for their roles in the organization, while entity designations covered nickel/cobalt producer Empresa de Niquel Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara and metals traders Metalcuba, Geominsal, and Acinox Comercial, alongside six instrumentalities of Grupo Empresarial del Comercio Exterior (GECOMEX), including the Ministry of Construction of Cuba. In addition, OFAC issued an amended FAQ 1265. (Here)

• OFAC issued Russia-related General License 131I under the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 587), extending the window for negotiating and entering contingent contracts for the sale of Lukoil International GmbH ("LIG"), and for LIG wind-down activities, through 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 19, 2026. GL 131I supersedes GL 131H (dated July 24, 2026), which had carried an August 22, 2026 deadline. Substantive conditions are unchanged. In addition, OFAC issued amended Russia-related FAQs 1224 and 1225. (Here)

  
  

  Friday, August 21

• OFAC issued Venezuela-related General License 61 authorizing the U.S. supply of goods, technology, software, or services for the installation, maintenance, repair, upgrade, or support of telecommunications in Venezuela, including contracts with the Government of Venezuela, CONATEL, and CANTV, provided such contracts specify U.S. governing law and dispute resolution in the U.S., UK, France, or Singapore. The license excludes debt swaps, gold or digital-currency payment terms, transactions involving Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or China, blocked vessels, and new joint ventures, and requires periodic transaction reporting to the State Department. Additionally, OFAC issued Venezuela-related General License 62 under the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, authorizing the negotiation of and entry into contingent contracts for new investment in Venezuela's telecommunications sector, including with the Government of Venezuela, CONATEL, and CANTV, provided performance remains contingent on separate OFAC authorization. The license excludes any transaction involving persons in Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or China, and does not authorize unblocking of property. Finally, OFAC issued one new Venezuela-related Frequently Asked Question (FAQ 1266). (Here)