Throughout June, sanctions activities were predominantly focused on Russia, with the EU and UK introducing further measures targeting Russia’s energy revenues, shadow fleet, military procurement networks, information operations and human rights abuses. The UK meanwhile carried out its first interception of a sanctioned Russian vessel, boarding the SMYRTOS in the English Channel. Iran remained a major target of the US, which continued to designate companies and individuals involved in Iranian oil, liquefied petroleum gas (“LPG”), weapons procurement and financial networks.
Enforcement in the US and UK saw a busy month. In the US, German multinational engineering company Bosch agreed to pay a $36.2 million settlement with the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) over exports to sanctioned Chinese technology company Huawei. Global consultancy FTI Consulting also reached a $1 million settlement with OFAC related to indirect business with sanctioned Russian bank VTB Bank. In the UK, two companies were fined £1 million and £570,000 respectively for Russian sanctions circumvention and breaches, with the former being the UK’s first penalty for sanctions circumvention under its new settlement framework. Criminal enforcement also featured prominently, including UK arms-brokering convictions, an Iran-related technology export case, and a US Hamas-financing prosecution.
Russia
- On 16th June the EU added 34 individuals and 47 entities to its Russia-related sanctions lists. The designations included executives and officials linked to Russian state-owned defence company Rostec, drone manufacturers, defence research bodies, shadow fleet operators and two Chinese companies under the Ukraine territorial integrity regime. The EU also listed propagandists and media figures under its destabilising activities regime, and individuals involved in the persecution, poisoning and death of Alexei Navalny under its Russia human rights regime. The EU additionally designated six individuals under its Moldova regime for alleged Russian-backed election interference.
- The UK named 27 ships and designated 31 entities and 14 individuals linked to Russia’s oil trade and defence sector. The measures targeted GRU officers and front companies involved in procuring dual-use goods, ships transporting Russian LNG to third countries, suppliers of dual-use goods, transport-sector entities acting on behalf of designated persons, and entities supporting Russia’s energy sector or connecting its financial sector to global markets.
- The EU renewed its Crimea and Sevastopol sanctions regime until 23rd June 2027 and agreed to renew its Regulation 833/2014 sectoral sanctions for 12 months, rather than the usual six months, while confirming that work is continuing on a 21st Russia sanctions package. Separately, the UK removed LLC RBRU Specialised Depository from its Russia sanctions list, while the US removed several individuals, two Turkish companies and two vessels from its Russia sanctions programme.
- Licensing and waivers affecting Russian energy and related trade continued. The US renewed General Licence 131, allowing negotiations to continue for the sale or transfer of Lukoil International, the Austrian holding company of the global assets of Russian oil major Lukoil. The US also renewed licences covering the Sakhalin-2 oil field’s crude oil exports to Japan and civil nuclear energy transactions involving sanctioned Russian financial institutions. The UK also amended its Lukoil International licence and processed oil products licence.
- The UK also intercepted and boarded the SMYRTOS in the English Channel on 14th The vessel had been specified under the UK Russia Regulations in October 2025 for being part of Russia’s shadow fleet, and is the first sanctioned vessel to be intercepted by the UK. The captain was arrested and the vessel anchored on the UK’s south coast. Shortly afterwards, the UK issued a general licence authorising steps necessary to facilitate government interdictions.
Iran
- The US began the month with further measures against Iran’s oil and petrochemical networks. The State Department designated eight vessel management companies and identified eight associated vessels as blocked property, while also designating three petrochemical traders and one executive. OFAC separately designated five Hong Kong-based front companies linked to Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company, the oil sales arm of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, as well as four individuals, 10 entities and six vessels for involvement in smuggling Iranian LPG, while falsely presenting the cargo as Omani, and facilitating foreign currency transactions for sanctioned Iranian banks.
- Iranian procurement networks remained a major target. On 2nd June, the US added eight individuals and five entities linked to an Iran-based procurement network that allegedly impersonated and defrauded US companies to procure restricted goods for Iran’s Ministry of Defence. On 15th June, the US added a further 13 individuals and entities in Iran, Belarus, China and Hong Kong for attempting to source and purchase weapons for the IRGC and Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics.
- US criminal enforcement also focused on Iran-related technology exports. Jamshid Ghomi, a US-Iranian national and chief executive of an Iran-based technology company was arrested and charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Prosecutors alleged that he arranged the shipment of more than 275 tonnes of American networking equipment to Iran through Dubai intermediaries, including to sanctioned Iranian defence entities.
Enforcement
- OFAC reached a $1.05 million settlement with Washington DC-based FTI Consulting for violations of US sanctions on Russia. FTI provided consultancy services to sanctioned Russian state-owned VTB Bank in connection with litigation in Singapore, routing invoices and payments through VTB’s law firm. OFAC concluded that FTI had indirectly dealt in VTB’s prohibited debt on six occasions.
- BIS reached a $36.18 million settlement with Bosch over 109 breaches of the Export Administration Regulations. Between September 2020 and 2024, two non-US Bosch subsidiaries exported more than $72 million of sensor products and automotive software to Huawei and its designated affiliates without the required licences. Bosch voluntarily disclosed, cooperated and remediated, and the Department of Justice declined prosecution after Bosch agreed to disgorge $3.6 million.
- US prosecutors charged Reda Sabassi, a San Diego resident, with sanctions evasion for allegedly sending money to Hamas and a Hamas fundraising organisation. Prosecutors alleged that Sabassi sent $116,000 to a Hamas member and attempted to convert $382,000 into cryptocurrency to send to Hamas through the US-designated organisation Gaza Now. He was also charged with terrorism, wire fraud, money laundering and false statements.
- In the UK, June saw the UK’s first penalty for sanctions circumvention under its new settlement framework when OFSI imposed a £1 million penalty on Sabre Global Technologies for breaches of the Russia sanctions regime. Sabre continued to provide its global distribution system services to JSC Ural Airlines after the airline was designated in May 2022, and OFSI found that the company explored alternative payment routes through US accounts. HMRC separately fined Petrofac Facilities Management £570,000 for supplying sanctioned industrial goods to persons connected with Russia and providing related technical assistance during the wind-down of its Russian operations.
- UK authorities also pursued criminal trade-control enforcement. David Greenhalgh and Christos Farmakis were convicted at Southwark Crown Court for brokering illegal weapons deals without the required UK licences. Greenhalgh arranged the supply of ex-Soviet aircraft, missile systems, anti-tank missiles and thousands of assault rifles between 2009 and 2016, with destinations including Sudan, South Sudan and Libya, using forged end-user certificates and overseas companies to conceal the true destinations.
- The UK High Court additionally held that sanctions did not prevent enforcement of a mortgage against a designated person and did not invalidate the underlying contractual obligations. The decision was reported to confirm that sanctions may restrict payments without suspending pre-existing repayment obligations.
Other Designations, De-Listings, and Regulatory Updates
- The US expanded sanctions targeting the Cuban government and state-controlled economy. During June, it designated six individuals and 11 entities, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company Unión Cuba-Petróleo, and entities linked to the military-controlled Grupo de Administración Empresarial SA operating in the defence, banking, energy, metals and mining sectors. The US also warned that non-US persons dealing with certain Cuban military- or interior ministry-owned entities could face sanctions exposure. Elsewhere in Latin America the US updated its Venezuela sanctions programme through new and amended licences covering oil, petrochemicals, minerals, aviation activity and earthquake relief. The EU also renewed its Haiti regime until July 2027.
- Counterterrorism sanctions remained active across multiple jurisdictions. The US designated Brazilian organised crime groups Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and announced their designation as Foreign Terrorist Organisations. The EU listed 10 members of Hamas’s Politburo under its expanded Hamas sanctions regime, while the US designated Hizballah and ISIS-linked individuals, front companies and money service providers accused of facilitating financing and operational activity.
- Several jurisdictions expanded sanctions in response to extremist settler violence in the West Bank. The EU designated three individuals and four entities, including settler organisations and NGOs accused of supporting serious human rights abuses against Palestinians. Later in the month, the UK, Canada, France, Australia and Norway took coordinated action against individuals and entities linked to extremist settler violence.
- The US also targeted transnational cyber-enabled criminal networks, designating nine individuals and 26 entities linked to the Cambodia-based Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organisation, accused of operating cyber scam centres across Southeast Asia and laundering online fraud proceeds. FinCEN simultaneously proposed restrictions on H-Pay Service PLC and Huione Group successor entities, while OFAC issued a wind-down licence for CCU Commercial Bank Plc.
- In Africa, the UN renewed South Sudan sanctions, including the arms embargo, asset freezes and travel bans, until May 2027. The US designated procurement and recruitment networks linked to both sides of the Sudanese civil war, and separately listed a Rwandan gold refinery and minerals network accused of exporting conflict minerals from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in cooperation with the UN-sanctioned M23. Separately, the UK removed the Libyan Arab African Investment Company from its Libya list and issued a new open general export licence for listed dual-use goods.
