On June 3, 2022, the European Union Council adopted a sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which will phase-out the import of Russian oil and petroleum products over the next six to eight months. This particular round of sanctions will not restrict the import of gas, but official guidance warns that “nothing is off the … Continue Reading
On Monday, 21 September, the EU designated three companies involved in the transportation of goods for violating the UN arms embargo in place for Libya: Sigma Airlines, Avrasya Shipping and Med Wave Shipping. The three entities, who are alleged to have transported military material to Libya, are now subject to an asset freeze under the … Continue Reading
The English Court of Appeal handed down judgment in the case of Lamesa Investments Limited v. Cynergy Bank Limited [2020] EWCA Civ 821 on 30 June 2020. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s decision that U.S. sanctions targeting Lamesa Investments Limited’s (LIL) ultimate owner justified Cynergy Bank Limited’s (CBL) withholding of interest payments … Continue Reading
In response to the evolving challenges facing the shipping industry in 2019, BIMCO has released new standard sanctions clauses for time and voyage charter parties. The release attempts to respond, in particular, to the United States’ more aggressive sanctions regimes for Iran and Venezuela, which have strained the previous BIMCO language. BIMCO states that the … Continue Reading
On 14 January 2020, the UK, France and Germany (the “E3”) triggered the dispute resolution mechanism under the JCPOA by referring assertions of Iranian non-compliance to the Joint Commission. The triggering of the dispute resolution mechanism could (but not necessarily will) lead to the re-imposition of UN and EU sanctions on Iran, though the statement … Continue Reading
On Monday, March 25, 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated the advisory document it published in November 2018 on the risks for parties involved in petroleum shipments to Syria. The update adds to the list of deceptive shipping practices used to obfuscate the destination of petroleum bound … Continue Reading
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. … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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, … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
Following a 16-month diplomatic effort, on October 6, 2017, the U.S. government announced that it will terminate the vast majority of economic sanctions against Sudan. The revocation will be effective on October 12, 2017. Sanctions against South Sudan will remain in place as will sanctions in response to the situation in Darfur. The EU position … Continue Reading
On the heels of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2375 released on September 11, 2017, President Trump issued a new executive order on September 21 (the EO) that greatly expands U.S. sanctions against North Korea, particularly so-called secondary sanctions, which apply to non-U.S. individuals and corporations. The EO establishes the following: Broad new criteria for designating non-U.S. … Continue Reading
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 has … Continue Reading
Earlier this month several countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, severed diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar. This is an important issue for the shipping industry to monitor. In our recent client alert we explained the position to date and looked at what shipping companies trading Qatar need to consider … Continue Reading
Today the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) further eased sanctions against Cuba with a host of new amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Of special interest to the shipping industry is the issuance of … Continue Reading
On 24 November 2013, the E3/EU+3 (or the P5+1, comprising the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany), together with Iran, agreed the Joint Plan of Action (“JPOA”), which relaxed some of the sanctions imposed against Iran by the EU and the United States. The JPOA was intended to provide interim sanctions … Continue Reading
On 24 November 2013, the P5+1 countries (comprising the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany) together with Iran, agreed the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), which relaxed some of the sanctions imposed against Iran by the EU and U.S. The JPOA was intended to provide interim sanctions relief, while the parties worked … Continue Reading
On April 2, 2014, the P5+1 (the United States, Germany, France, the UK, Russia, and China) and Iran reached an agreed-upon framework outlining the roadmap for a future agreement surrounding Iran’s nuclear program that would include suspension of U.S. and EU nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran. For further details, please see the recent Reed Smith … Continue Reading
Since March 2014, Reed Smith has been closely monitoring developments relating to the situation in the Ukraine and reporting them as Client Alerts and blog updates. For a brief summary of the EU’s decision of 20 March 2015 to effectively leave in place the sanctions imposed last year against Russia, please see the recent Client Alert by … Continue Reading
