The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has stayed busy during the coronavirus outbreak. The office made several new additions to its list of Specially Designated Individuals during the month of March, including China- and Switzerland-based logistics companies doing business with sanctioned entities and designations of several Iranian, Syrian and Congolese individuals and entities.
The Trump administration targeted several Chinese shipping companies[1] for moving oil and other goods between Iran and China, including Aoxing Ship Management (Shanghai) and Dalian Golden Sun Import & Export Co. Ltd. The administration also applied pressure on Venezuela by indicting several officials and businessmen, as well as enforcing sanctions against major international oil and gas firms and shipping companies.
The Wall Street Journal cites senior officials in the U.S. government[2] as stating that the actions against Venezuela are “part of a Trump administration effort to double down on its pressure campaign against President Nicolá