https://sagire.online/topic/sanctions/ Rolling analysis and coverage of geopolitics, energy, security and supply chains. en Thu, 05 Nov 2026 02:48:00 -0300 https://sagire.online/wire/cd733faf/https://sagire.online/wire/cd733faf/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 22:21:00 -0300The United States sanctioned on Wednesday two individuals and one entity accused of helping Iran obtain man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS). The State Department identified the targets as Mohammed Ali Tolibov, CEO of Belarus-based Armory Alliance; Nigeria-based Vanguard Tactical Supply Limited; and Russia-based Alisher Domullodzhanov. According to the department, the network sought to facilitate the procurement of Chinese-origin MANPADS for Iran, including through false end-users — Israeli newspaper Ynet describes the case as an attempt to purchase hundreds of Chinese-made shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, with a Belarusian company acting as intermediary. The statement places the move under Operation Economic Outcast, following designations on May 8, June 10 and July 15, 2026.United StatesIranSanctions https://sagire.online/wire/997e2c63/https://sagire.online/wire/997e2c63/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:22:00 -0300The US Treasury on Wednesday sanctioned India-based Suniel Kumar Sharma, his wife Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, two other Indian citizens who head two of the couple’s businesses and nine entities connected to Sharma, a network that the department said provided false flags and certifications to sanctioned vessels carrying Iranian petroleum, including vessels operating on behalf of the Iranian military and its proxies. Treasury said the scheme operated from Chandigarh and purported to represent nations from nearly every continent, from Guyana to Eswatini and Laos. The department also sanctioned Turkey-based Fugo Group Services Inc for its ongoing support of Iran’s aviation sector. The measures are part of “Operation Economic Outcast,” which aims to cut off Iran’s ability to sell oil to fund the war.United StatesIndiaTurkeySanctionsOil https://sagire.online/wire/8758a004/https://sagire.online/wire/8758a004/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:23:00 -0300New Jersey Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill warned port and terminal operators in the state against “purchasing or unloading the illegal Russian fuel currently bound for the east coast of the United States,” in a letter dated November 2. Sherrill said Congress banned energy imports from Russia in April 2022, in response to the country’s attack on Ukraine, and that importing Russian diesel would violate the ban and could lead to civil and criminal charges. A Treasury license authorizes transactions tied to the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian diesel, including into the United States, through April 7, 2027. The White House defended the authorization: “The President secured a deal to supply global markets with diesel, lowering prices for the United States and the world,” spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. A Phillips 66 executive said he did not believe Russia has enough distillate to make much of a difference to the global supply crunch.United StatesRussiaSanctionsEnergy https://sagire.online/wire/6ff14704/https://sagire.online/wire/6ff14704/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 07:25:00 -0300The National Basketball Association (NBA) removed Rwanda’s army team, the Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR), from the Basketball Africa League (BAL) because of US sanctions imposed on the country in March. Mark Tatum wrote that APR would remain “ineligible to compete in the BAL while these sanctions remain in effect”. Last week, the US also imposed new sanctions on Rwanda’s defense ministry over its support for the M23 rebel group, which controls parts of eastern DR Congo.RwandaUnited StatesSanctionsDemocratic Republic of the Congo https://sagire.online/wire/43cf84e2/https://sagire.online/wire/43cf84e2/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 07:25:00 -0300Japan’s government is considering financial aid to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been hit by sanctions, following a call from the court’s president, according to Kyodo News.JapanInternational Criminal CourtInternational justiceSanctions https://sagire.online/wire/d6081994/https://sagire.online/wire/d6081994/Wed, 04 Nov 2026 06:22:00 -0300Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland called in a joint statement on the European Commission to terminate investment protection treaties with Russia that remain in force in 17 member states. According to Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the treaties are being used to influence European Union (EU) policy in Russia’s favor and their continued application threatens the bloc’s overall economic security. The ministry said the treaties contain provisions that encourage investment in Russia and allow individuals under sanctions to bring claims before international courts against member states and against the EU as a whole. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the EU’s task was to ensure “that Russia’s international isolation is maintained without concessions.”EstoniaLatviaLithuaniaPolandRussiaEuropean UnionSanctions https://sagire.online/wire/66448e2e/https://sagire.online/wire/66448e2e/Tue, 03 Nov 2026 06:23:00 -0300Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday as coalition talks deadlocked over a deficit-cutting budget, with the monarch putting off his decision until the end of the week; the government is seeking savings and new revenue to cut a budget deficit that exceeds five percent of GDP. The king will launch discussions with the different party leaders of the governing coalition and will receive De Wever again on Friday. All Belgian political forces oppose using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, and a possible resignation of De Wever would not change that position, the Rapporteur portal reported, as cited by Sputnik.BelgiumRussiaPolitical crisisSanctions https://sagire.online/wire/5f4ecace/https://sagire.online/wire/5f4ecace/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:22:00 -0300International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane told the UN General Assembly on Monday that US sanctions against the court are an attempt to obstruct the course of justice. In a virtual address, she said the measures, imposed on October 9 — the same day the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to former ICC judge Navi Pillay — target 13 independent judges and prosecutors, including herself, and strike at “the heart of the sovereign equality of states.”International Criminal CourtUnited NationsUnited StatesInternational justiceSanctions https://sagire.online/wire/e1e69278/https://sagire.online/wire/e1e69278/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:22:00 -0300Iran has a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks with the United States, Tehran said on Monday, shortening a process originally expected to take seven days, and has conditioned the reopening on Washington accepting its demands. They include an end to military operations on all fronts, the end of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, the unfreezing of Iranian assets held abroad and the suspension of sanctions on the country’s oil sector.IranUnited StatesStrait of HormuzThe GulfNuclearSanctions https://sagire.online/wire/ad92ed47/https://sagire.online/wire/ad92ed47/Mon, 02 Nov 2026 15:22:00 -0300A sanctioned Iranian tanker carrying about 500,000 barrels of liquefied petroleum gas slipped past the US naval blockade and delivered its cargo to China, according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which says it filmed the ship at a Malaysian anchorage along the way. On October 8, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the tanker as one of 17 shadow-fleet vessels, saying the Comoros-flagged ship, owned by Marshall Islands-based Gravion Maritime Company, had transported more than 2 million barrels of Iranian propane and butane since September 2025.IranChinaUnited StatesSanctionsOil https://sagire.online/wire/d7aa4bf1/https://sagire.online/wire/d7aa4bf1/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:23:00 -0300Russian diesel fuel is sometimes sold on the European market under different brands, despite Europe’s ban on purchases of Russian oil and petrochemicals, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, according to TASS. He also said gas reserves in European underground storage facilities are today at their lowest level on record, with winter ahead.RussiaEuropean UnionEnergySanctions https://sagire.online/wire/e5bba378/https://sagire.online/wire/e5bba378/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:22:00 -0300Iran’s Foreign Ministry designated MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence service, as a hostile group and the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force (RAF) as terrorist organizations, as a reciprocal measure against the British, according to the Tehran Times. The ministry said the decision was adopted in response to British actions over the past year, including the country’s involvement in the US-Israeli war against Iran through the provision of military bases, facilities and logistical support.IranUnited KingdomConflictDiplomacySanctions https://sagire.online/wire/14341413/https://sagire.online/wire/14341413/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 04:20:00 -0300Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described US Vice President JD Vance’s letter on resuming talks as a “positive step,” in comments to Al Jazeera on Friday, according to the Jerusalem Post. Iran has no plans to meet with US officials, he said, calling reports of such a meeting “merely media speculation”. Araghchi’s listed conditions include lifting the sanctions imposed following the Islamabad memorandum, reducing US forces in the region, restoring oil waivers and releasing all frozen Iranian funds.IranUnited StatesDiplomacySanctions https://sagire.online/wire/8d0d6357/https://sagire.online/wire/8d0d6357/Sun, 01 Nov 2026 03:21:00 -0300Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within two days if Washington agrees to a set of conditions, including formal recognition of the new shipping route designated by Iran and Oman in the strait. In an interview with Al Jazeera, according to Middle East Eye, Araghchi also cited lifting the sanctions the United States imposed on Iran after the collapse of the Islamabad memorandum in July, reducing the US military presence in the region, reinstating the oil waivers granted in June as part of the memorandum and releasing frozen Iranian funds, including those held in Qatar.IranUnited StatesStrait of HormuzSanctionsOilDiplomacy https://sagire.online/wire/707ed8fd/https://sagire.online/wire/707ed8fd/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 21:22:00 -0300Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz include lifting the sanctions imposed after the Islamabad memorandum, reducing US forces in the region, restoring oil waivers and releasing frozen Iranian funds, including those held in Qatar. Araghchi said talks are under way with Qatari mediators on a plan to reopen the Strait within two days if the United States meets those conditions, according to Al Jazeera.IranQatarStrait of HormuzDiplomacySanctionsOil