During an investment forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025, President Donald Trump announced his intent to lift sanctions on Syria, stating that sanctions relief will "give them a chance at greatness."...more
New announcements and rules expand the scope of existing sanctions and export controls on Russia. This Client Alert is published in the context of ongoing developments and should be read in conjunction with the Latham’s...more
In recognition of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)...more
This update addresses the full implementation of the price cap policy for crude oil and petroleum products of Russian origin by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). On Feb. 3, OFAC...more
The U.S. and its allies have expanded sanctions on Russia and Belarus on an almost daily basis over the last week and have committed to continue to do so if the situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate. ...more
The United States and its allies respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with even tougher sanctions against Russia, its leaders, and its leading businesses. Our International Trade & Regulatory Group breaks down the...more
On February 23 and 24, 2022, the United States, through the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), took significant...more
The United States, along with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other allies, has announced a new round of significantly tougher sanctions and export controls in response to the expanding Russian military invasion...more
Compliance Professionals: As the Ukraine braces for a possible Russian incursion, are you bracing for the impact of economic sanctions against Russia?...more
On March 7, 2017, the United States announced that China’s Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd. and their respective affiliates (collectively, ZTE) had agreed to a record...more
Much has been written recently about the lifting of the US embargoes targeting Iran and Cuba. Despite recent liberalization in discrete areas (e.g., travel, family remittances, and internet based communications),...more
On January 25, the Obama Administration made concurrent announcements about its evolving posture on the Cuban sanctions. On that date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released more changes to the Cuban Assets...more
On January 25, 2016, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced new changes to existing US sanctions on Cuba,...more
Cuba banned all private enterprise and foreign investment following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. For more than 50 years, the U.S. has imposed an almost total embargo on all trade with the largest Caribbean island nation. ...more
However, the new transaction rules leave the embargo largely in effect. Early this week, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and...more
There has been much fanfare surrounding the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, starting with President Obama’s announcement of the resumption of bilateral relations, and followed by the formal establishment of...more
In This Issue: - Update on Trade Promotion Authority and Companion Trade Bills: A Lot Can Happen In Washington In 34 Days - Congress Allows Export-Import Bank Charter to Expire, for Now - WTO Finds That COOL Is...more
You are the chief legal officer of a U.S. company. Your CEO walks into your office and announces that your company is about to conclude its first international sale. In addition, the company has just appointed distributors in...more
Recent actions by the U.S. Congress and several executive branch agencies have resulted in changes to sanctions related to various countries and regions, including Cuba, North Korea, Crimea, and Venezuela....more
New US rules define scope of prohibitions and authorized activities, as Crimea region remains subject to broad US embargo and EU trade and investment restrictions. On January 29 and 30, 2015, the US Department of...more
After President Obama's announcement that his Administration will pursue a policy aimed at improving U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations and ultimately eliminating the economic embargo on Cuba, the U.S. Treasury and Commerce...more
As part of a broader, ongoing effort to forge closer relations with Cuba, the Obama administration has enacted a new set of regulations intended to facilitate certain forms of authorized travel to Cuba. The regulations, which...more
On January 16, 2015, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), and the Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce (“BIS”), each published regulations implementing the...more
Action Item: On January 16, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations and the Export Administration...more
On January 15, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) released important updates to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (“CACR”). The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry...more