European Union

On July 14, 2015, following nearly twenty months of talks, international negotiators from seven countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, Russia, and Iran) announced that they reached a landmark nuclear agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program. While this is a historic agreement long in the making, it is important to note that there is no immediate lifting of sanctions against Iran. U.S. government officials have indicated that for now it is status quo for those focused on sanctions compliance.

On June 30, the United States, together with its partners in the P5+1, the EU and Iran, agreed to a seven day extension of the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), which currently halts progress on Iran’s nuclear program in order to continue negotiations towards establishing a comprehensive and enduring solution.  The initial agreement, reached in November 2013, stipulated that the P5+1 (comprised of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany) would implement narrow and targeted sanctions relief in return for Iran’s continued commitment to limit its nuclear program.

Yesterday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced increased economic sanctions against Russia, including measures against Russia’s largest bank – Sberbank Russia – as well as several state-owned defense technology companies and five energy companies (Gazprom, Gazprom Neft, Lukoil, Surgutneftegas and Rosneft).  The United States has also tightened previous restrictions by lowering from 90 days to 30 days the allowable length of debt U.S. citizens and entities may buy from sanctioned Russian banks – Bank of Moscow, Gazprombank OAO, Vnesheconombank (VEB), Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank),  VTB Bank OAO and Sberbank Russia.

As described in our Alert published on August 1, 2014, the United States and other nations have ramped up sanctions against Russia related to the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

On July 31, 2014, the European Union imposed increased sanctions designed to discourage Russia from, in the words of the EU Regulation, “destabilising the situation in Ukraine.”

In response to Russia’s continuing actions in Ukraine, the United States and other nations have implemented increased economic sanctions that significantly broaden the scope of the sanctions previously in place. In addition to the U.S. actions, Canada, the European Union and Japan have imposed similar sanctions against Russia, including asset freezes and individual designations.