#us-sanctions

#us-sanctions

The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday was the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 and marked a sharp escalation in rising tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolas Maduro. Since the seizure, only tankers chartered by US oil company Chevron have sailed into international waters carrying Venezuelan crude, the data reviewed by the Reuters news agency showed.

Vladimir Putin has told the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, that Russia is ready to continue uninterrupted shipments of oil to India, signalling a defiant stance as the two leaders met in Delhi and affirmed that their ties were resilient to external pressure.

Meeting to boost ties comes as India seeks reprieve from US oil sanctions related to war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have kicked off a daylong summit in the capital of India, where trade and Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine were set to loom large. Friday's summit is the first time Putin has visited India since the start of Russia's full-fledged war on Ukraine in 2022, and comes as India is seeking a reprieve from United States sanctions related to its purchase of Russian oil.

In late October, the US Treasury announced sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil producers. The changes sent seaborne shipments from these companies down 42%, to about 1.7 million barrels a day. However, Russia's total oil exports slipped by just 100,000 barrels per day after the sanctions came into effect. This means that Russia rapidly rerouted shipments through smaller, non-sanctioned producers.

The United States ramped up pressure on Venezuela on Monday by designating the so-called "Cartel de los Soles" (Cartel of the Suns) group as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month the US would announce the designation of the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) for its alleged role in importing illegal drugs into the United States.

In an expansion of its sanctions targeting Brazil's judiciary, the administration of US President Donald Trump on Monday imposed sanctions on Viviane Barci de Moraes, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. list of 3 itemsend of list It also imposed sanctions on the Lex Instituto de Estudos Juridicos, a financial entity controlled by Barci de Moraes and other family members that the US government believes could serve as a vehicle to evade pre-existing sanctions, a Treasury Department notice said.

Southeast Asia's cyber scam industry not only threatens the well-being and financial security of Americans, but also subjects thousands of people to modern slavery, undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K Hurley said in a statement, adding that Americans last year lost more than $10bn from scam operations originating in the region. The department said it had issued sanctions against Tin Win, Saw Min Min Oo and Chit Linn Myaing Co for acting

Unequal treatment reflects a cold combination of political and economic calculations. United States President Donald Trump has threatened to slap new sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions on countries that buy Moscow's crude in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. While Trump imposed an additional 25 percent tariff earlier this month to a total of 50 percent on India's goods, citing its continued imports of Russian oil, he has not instigated similar punitive actions against China, the largest buyer of Russian energy.

US officials have unsealed an indictment against Haitian gang leader Jimmy "Barbecue" Chérizier and three Haiti-born naturalized US citizens for conspiring to violate US sanctions.

India and China firmly rejected US President Donald Trump's threats of secondary sanctions for purchasing Russian oil, prioritizing their energy security and economic sovereignty.

Stephen Miller stated, " what he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia."