Publication of Amended Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations 10/30/2017 5:55:18 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print The Department of the US Treasury US Treasury Dept., 10/30/2017 The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is amending the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 594 (GTSR), to apply the blocking provisions of the GTSR to foreign persons that have been identified by OFAC as officials, agents, or affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  This amendment will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register on Tuesday, October 31, 2017. OFAC is amending the GTSR pursuant to section 105(b) of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (CAATSA) as it relates to officials, agents, or affiliates of the IRGC.  Further information about CAATSA, including updates to two frequently asked questions related to section 105 of CAATSA, can be f...

Trump Excludes Iraq’s Popular Mobilization from his Iran Strategy 10/22/2017 7:00:38 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print Iraqs Popular Mobilization Force commits criminal activities in Kurdish regions Huffington Post, Oct. 22, 2017  - Trump’s exclusion of Iraq from his enumeration of Iranian violations in the Arab world and the IRGC roles there, in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon, has interesting implications. Iraq seems to occupy a special position for President Trump. The prime minister in Baghdad, Haider al-Abadi, may have earned the trust of the US president, and even a preferential position with regard to US support, possibly at the expense of the Kurds, Washington’s erstwhile long-standing ally. Indeed, Trump has overlooked the participation of the Popular Mobilization forces in battles alongside the federal Iraqi forces to retake Kirkuk from the Kurds and other Kurdish-claimed regions in northern Iraq, bearing in mind that the US Treasury Depar...

Trump Excludes Iraq’s Popular Mobilization from his Iran Strategy 10/22/2017 7:00:38 PM Iraqs Popular Mobilization Force commits criminal activities in Kurdish regions Huffington Post, Oct. 22, 2017  - Trump’s exclusion of Iraq from his enumeration of Iranian violations in the Arab world and the IRGC roles there, in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon, has interesting implications. Iraq seems to occupy a special position for President Trump. The prime minister in Baghdad, Haider al-Abadi, may have earned the trust of the US president, and even a preferential position with regard to US support, possibly at the expense of the Kurds, Washington’s erstwhile long-standing ally. Indeed, Trump has overlooked the participation of the Popular Mobilization forces in battles alongside the federal Iraqi forces to retake Kirkuk from the Kurds and other Kurdish-claimed regions in northern Iraq, bearing in mind that the US Treasury Department has now targeted the IRGC as a suppo...