This Executive Order gives Treasury new authorities. First, it strengthens Treasury’s ability to address behavior by foreign individuals and entities determined to have violated, attempted to violate, conspired to violate, or caused a violation of U.S. sanctions on Syria or Iran. This E.O. also gives Treasury the authority to impose sanctions on foreign persons who have facilitated deceptive transactions for or on behalf of persons subject to U.S. sanctions.
Transactions by U.S. persons or within the United States involving persons sanctioned under this authority are prohibited, effectively cutting the listed persons off from the U.S. marketplace and financial system. By cutting off access to the U.S. marketplace and financial system to such sanctions evaders, Executive Order 13608 provides Treasury with a powerful tool to prevent and deter such behavior and to hold such persons accountable and to convince them to change their behavior. Publicly identifying such persons will also allow U.S. persons to avoid unwittingly engaging in transactions with identified foreign persons that may expose U.S. persons to the risk of sanctions violations.