Frequently Asked Questions

313 … IFCA was signed into law on January 2, 2013, as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, and provides for several new sanctions related to Iran. IFCA authorizes broad sanctions on: certain activities related to Iran’s energy, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors;… Read more

290 … There is no general exception for payments, sales, deliveries, or transfers arising out of contracts entered into prior to July 1, 2013, on or after which date certain activities become sanctionable under the  Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (IFCA). The assessment of… Read more

292 … IFCA generally excepts from sanctions transactions for the sale of agricultural commodities, food, medicine, or medical devices to Iran, as set out in more detail in Q&As 297 and 304 . … What are the implications of IFCA on the provision of humanitarian goods to the people of …

225 … The United States has sanctioned the Syrian government, including the Central Bank of Syria, senior Syrian government officials, and individuals and entities supporting the Assad regime and/or responsible for human rights abuses in Syria, in order to reinforce the President’s call that Bashar… Read more

293 … We anticipate that regulations to be promulgated will define “energy sector of Iran” to include activities involving the exploration, extraction, production, refinement, or liquefaction of petroleum, natural gas, or petroleum products in Iran. (See also discussion of activities involving… Read more

229 … No. You may send U.S.-origin food or medicine to Syria without a specific license from OFAC. The Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), which maintains jurisdiction over the export of most items to Syria, does not require a license for the export of U.S.-origin food… Read more

231 … Yes.  U.S. NGOs may provide services to Syria in support of humanitarian projects in Syria as authorized by § 542.516 of the Syrian Sanctions Regulations.  NGOs carrying out activities funded by the U.S. government, as described in § 542.522, or international organizations, as described in §… Read more

135 … Yes. The new Syria Executive order, Executive Order 13582, does not prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions ordinarily incident to travel to or from any country, including importation of accompanied baggage for personal use, maintenance within any country including payment of… Read more

294 … Persons determined to be part of Iran’s energy, shipping, or shipbuilding sectors, or a port operator in Iran for purposes of IFCA section 1244(c) will be identified as such on the SDN List . Knowingly providing certain significant support to persons determined to be part of Iran’s energy,… Read more

136 … For the purposes of OFAC Syria General License No. 4A, "items subject to the EAR" is defined at § 734.3 of the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"), 15 C.F.R. Parts 730-774.The EAR are administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS"). Note that BIS… Read more