Photo of Chloe Rogers

On 8 May 2018, President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In conjunction with that announcement, the President issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) directing the re-imposition of certain secondary sanctions, being those that apply to non-U.S. persons even where there is no U.S. nexus (e.g. no U.S. persons, no U.S.-origin goods, or U.S. dollar payments). As discussed in our earlier blog post, the first batch of sanctions was reimposed on 6 August  and the second batch will become effective 5 November.
Continue Reading IRAN SANCTIONS – UPDATE

  1. After a tumultuous year in the Iranian sanctions landscape, much needed guidance is starting to trickle down through the English courts as to the scope and application of the US secondary sanctions and the EU Blocking Regulation regimes. On 12 October 2018, the English High Court handed down judgment in Mamancochet Mining Ltd v Aegis

As readers will be aware, following President Trump’s announcement on 8 May 2018, the USA has indicated its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal – the JCPOA – and that it will be reimposing secondary sanctions on Iran, being those which affect non-U.S. persons. The first tranche of secondary sanctions took effect in early August,

In the early hours of Tuesday, 7 August 2018, and as foreshadowed by President Trump’s announcement on 8 May 2018, the United States reimposed certain secondary sanctions on Iran, being those which apply to non-U.S. persons. The imposition of these sanctions follows the conclusion of a 90-day wind-down period and, as mentioned in our previous blog post, will impact (among other things) trade in graphite, raw or semi-finished metals and the Iranian automotive sector. Importantly, the new Iran sanctions permit the U.S. government to impose sanctions on non-U.S. persons who provide significant support to those acting in violation of the sanctions. Note that a second wind-down period expires in early November, at which time further secondary sanctions will be reimposed, affecting, among other things, shipping, the petroleum and petrochemical industry, and insurance.
Continue Reading IRAN SANCTIONS: UNITED STATES REIMPOSES SANCTIONS AND THE EU RESPONDS

On 8 May 2018, President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”). In conjunction with that announcement, the President issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (“NSPM”) directing the re-imposition of certain secondary sanctions, being those that apply to non-US persons even where there is no US nexus. Depending on the economic sector targeted, the particular sanction will be imposed either 90 or 180 days after the President’s announcement (6 August and 5 November, respectively).
Continue Reading Iran Sanctions – August Deadline

As discussed in our blog post of 21 May 2018, the EU has reaffirmed its commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action in the wake of the US’ announcement that it would be withdrawing from that agreement and re-imposing its nuclear-related secondary sanctions.  The European Commission has now published an amendment to its Regulation 2271/96, the so called “blocking statute”, in order to mitigate the impact of the US’ secondary sanctions.
Continue Reading Iran Sanctions – Developments from the EU

Listeners to our webinar on Wednesday will recall the discussion of the sanctions in play against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, also known as North Korea). Of particular interest to the global business community had been the forthcoming summit between President Trump of the United States and Kim Jong Un, Leader of the

Following President Trump’s announcement that the United States will withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) and re-impose US sanctions (including secondary sanctions) against Iran, the European Union has chosen to signal its commitment to the continuation of the JCPOA. Readers will be aware that the US has indicated it will be re-imposing secondary sanctions on Iran over the course of the coming months, following two winding-down periods, the first of which ends in August this year, and the second of which ends in November.
Continue Reading Sanctions on Iran – The EU Response

On 8 May 2018, President Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and to reimpose on Iran a multitude of sanctions that were lifted in January 2016 under the JCPOA.

This means a significant change to non-U.S. companies’ ability to trade Iran, and has particular

Readers may be aware that a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, have recently severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. For further information on the restrictions in play and how they might impact your business, please refer to the Reed Smith Client Alert, which can be found here.

Saudi Arabia