Category: Sanctions News

UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway sanction Israeli Cabinet ministers

Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway said Tuesday they have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face asset freezes and travel bans from the five countries. The ministers are champions of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The decision by Western governments friendly to Israel was a sharp rebuke of Israel’s settlement policies in the West Bank and of settler…

US issues sanctions against charities supporting Hamas, PFLP

WASHINGTON – The United States imposed sanctions on June 10 targeting individuals and sham charities that it said were prominent financial supporters of Palestinian groups Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The individuals and groups targeted were funding Hamas’ military wing under the pretense of doing humanitarian work, in Gaza and internationally, the Treasury Department said. The Treasury said it will continue to seek disruptions to the financial capabilities of Hamas, which still holds hostages…

From visas to jets, US and China are finding new trade leverage

US President Donald Trump brought many of the same grievances to his second trade war against China, but the economic battleground that has emerged since then is making it harder to avoid a rupture this time around. While tariffs kicked off the dispute, it is the new trade weapons being unsheathed by both sides that have come to define the latest stand-off. And if the damage done so far is any indication, the scars will prove more enduring – no…

The New Balance of Power in the Middle East

During his visit to the Middle East in May, U.S. President Donald Trump did several things that few would have predicted months or even weeks earlier. One was his surprise meeting with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Shara, and the subsequent lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, notwithstanding Shara’s history as a leader of a militant Islamist group. Another was his decision not to include Israel on the itinerary, despite his administration’s ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza. The…

US decision to sanction ICC judges ‘deeply corrosive’ to justice: UN rights chief

Mr. Türk was responding to an announcement by Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, on Thursday, of measures targeting the judges, who are overseeing a 2020 case of alleged war crime committed in Afghanistan by US and Afghan military forces, and the 2024 ICC arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former Defence Minister. “I am profoundly disturbed by the decision of the Government of the United States of America to sanction judges…

Myanmar militia leader sanctioned by US over cyber scam connections

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned a Myanmar militia group and its leader on Monday for their alleged participation in the booming cyber fraud industry. The designation targets the Karen National Army (KNA) and Saw Chit Thu, a longtime power broker in the Myawaddy area of Karen State along the border with Thailand. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also sanctioned his two sons, Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit. The KNA, who until mid-2024 were known as the…

Did Trump really ‘exempt’ Chinese phones, chips from tariffs?

United States President Donald Trump has threatened new tariffs on Chinese electronic goods, three days after his administration announced exemptions on smartphones, laptops, flash drives and a host of other tech products from levies he has announced since April 2. Those exemptions provided relief to US tech companies reliant on Chinese manufacturing, like Apple and chip company Nvidia, which saw their stocks rise considerably after the release of Friday’s notice. Then came Monday’s announcement, which sparked criticism of Trump over…

China adds 12 US entities to export control list, adds 6 US firms to unreliable entity list

China’s Ministry of Commence (MOFCOM) said on Wednesday that it has added 12 US entities to the export control list. In order to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Export Control Law of China and the regulations on export control of dual-use items, the MOFCOM issued an announcement to include 12 US entities in the export control list and prohibit the export of dual-use items to…

UK MPs barred from entering Israel

Two pro-Palestinian British MPs were denied entry to Israel and subsequently deported after local authorities accused them of misrepresenting the nature of their visit and planning to promote campaigns targeting the state. Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, both members of the governing Labour Party, landed in Tel Aviv at 2:30pm local time on Saturday, accompanied by two aides. During questioning at Ben Gurion Airport, they told border officers they were part of an official UK parliamentary delegation – a claim…

Germany to target ‘internal EU enemies’ – Politico

The thinly veiled threat reportedly refers to Hungary, which has blocked several of Brussels’ foreign policy decisions The incoming German government plans to play a larger role in EU decision-making, including by punishing nations that dissent against the bloc’s foreign policy, Politico has reported. According to the outlet, a draft coalition agreement targets Hungary, which has defied EU decisions on issues such as the Ukraine conflict and sanctions against Russia. Germany is set to have a new coalition government formed…

Zelensky speaks out on US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia

Ukraine’s leader has expressed readiness to enter a US-proposed energy truce with Russia Ukraine’s leader, Vladimir Zelensky, has offered his take on negotiations in Saudi Arabia shortly after the White House released two statements on the US contacts with Kiev’s and Moscow’s respective delegations. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Zelensky expressed readiness to observe US President Donald Trump’s proposed agreement to mutually halt strikes on energy facilities with Russia, as well as to stop fighting in the Black…

Norway sanctions Russian judges, prosecutors responsible for repression

Norway’s sanctions on March 14, 2025, targeted 19 individuals, including judges, prosecutors, and judiciary members involved in serious human rights violations. Notably, those implicated in the imprisonment and death of Alexei Navalny, as well as the politically motivated sentencing of human rights defender Oleg Orlov and artist Aleksandra Skochilenko, were sanctioned.

News from Russia: US statements on readiness to negotiate with Iran are hoax -Khamenei

Statements made by the United States about its willingness to negotiate with Iran are a deception of the global public opinion, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday.
“Statements that the US president is ready to hold negotiations and invites to the negotiating table are the deception of the global public opinion,” the ISNA news agency quoted Khamenei as saying. “We have been sitting at the negotiating table for several years, and this very same person cast aside a completed and signed document tearing it up. What kind of negotiations we must hold if we know well that they will not work? This is why all calls and statements about negotiations are the deception of the public opinion,” he added. US President Donald Trump announced on March 7 that he had sent a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.

US has suspended all military aid to Ukraine, White House official says, in wake of Trump-Zelenskyy row

The Trump administration has suspended delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine, a White House official has said, blocking billions in crucial shipments as the White House piles pressure on Ukraine to sue for peace with Vladimir Putin. The decision affects deliveries of ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment including shipments agreed to when Joe Biden was president. It comes after a dramatic blow-up in the White House on Friday during which Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was…

Hungary Seeking to Lift EU Sanctions From Russian Billionaires

Hungary wants to remove eight individuals from the European Union’s Russia sanctions list and receive fresh guarantees on Ukraine gas transit talks before agreeing to renew the restrictions, EU diplomats said.EU sanctions on Russia – imposed over Moscow’s war against Ukraine – must be renewed every six months by a unanimous vote and Budapest has often used these renewals as bargaining opportunities. On Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook that Budapest would “not consent to rushing ahead” with the…

EU court adviser backs Vienna in fight against Russian-built nuclear reactors in Hungary

Austria’s legal fight against Hungarian nuclear reactors built by Russian companies is valid, the adviser to the EU’s top court ruled. Back in 2017, Brussels approved a Budapest request to finance the construction of a new nuclear power plant, Paks II, in the heart of the country. It was to be built by a Russian company, Nizhny Novgorod Engineering. Austria sued and lost a lower court case in 2022. Today, the advocate general of the Court of Justice of the…