Tag: sanctions

Trump extends Russia sanctions for 12 months

President Donald Trump has prolonged US sanctions on Russia for another year, based on the supposition that Moscow still poses a serious threat to the country’s national security.

Washington placed punitive restrictions on Russia after it absorbed Crimea following a referendum held in 2014, and later over Moscow’s alleged meddling in American elections. The sanctions were drastically expanded following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

The latest extension approved by Trump and dated April 10, 2025, has been posted to the Federal Register’s website, announcing the “Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Specified Harmful Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation.”

It refers primarily to Executive Order 14024 signed by former President Joe Biden in April 2021 in response to an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the United States” presumed to be posed by Russia.

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Trump threatens tariffs and sanctions on Mexico for ‘stealing’ water from Texas farmers

President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs, and possibly sanctions against Mexico, if it continues to rob South Texas farmers of Rio Grande water promised under a decades-old treaty.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump proclaimed that Mexico owes Texas 1.3 million acre-feet of water under the 1944 Water Treaty, though Mexico was violating their obligation.

“This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly,” the president wrote. “Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers. Ted Cruz has been leading the fight to get South Texas the water it is owed, but Sleepy Joe refused to lift a finger to help the Farmers. THAT ENDS NOW!”

Trump continued, saying he will make sure Mexico does not violate treaties with the U.S. and hurt farmers in Texas.

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US strikes hard against the Sinaloa Cartel: Sanctions six individuals and seven entities, blocking its financial network.

The US Treasury Department delivered a devastating blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, sanctioning six individuals and seven entities involved in a money laundering network, as announced by Secretary Scott Bessent.

These sanctions, aimed at dismantling the cartel’s financial operations, target a network of front companies and shell corporations operating along the US-Mexico border, using currency exchange businesses and bulk cash transfers.

The Sinaloa Cartel, designated as a foreign terrorist organization under the Trump administration, is responsible for trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl into the US, a poison that has killed thousands of citizens and destroyed families.

Bessent stated that laundered money is the “lifeblood” of this “narco-terrorist enterprise,” vowing to use every available tool to punish those who support these criminals.

This move adds to Trump’s pressure on cartels, who weeks ago classified Sinaloa and seven other Hispanic America criminal groups as terrorist organizations, although analysts doubt this will enable direct military action in Mexico.

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 Trump Signs Order Sanctioning The Hague’s ICC Over Treatment Of Israel

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the Hague-based court targeted Israeli and American officials and their allies, according to a White House official.

The administration official cited that the order will “implement financial and visa sanctions on individuals and their family members who assist in ICC investigations of U.S. citizens or allies.”

The court has had a long-running investigation against the US over alleged troop war crimes committed in Afghanistan. During the first Trump administration, initial retaliatory sanctions were imposed on the ICC in 2020.

And more recently the ICC has issued an arrest warrant last year for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who just visited the White House and met with Trump this week.

The new executive order is clearly timed on the immediate heels of the Trump meeting with Netanyahu, who is unable to travel to many European states and other countries for fear of arrest.

The Trump-signed order states that “The ICC was designed to be a court of last resort” and that “Both the United States and Israel maintain robust judiciary systems and should never be subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC.”

Biden had actually reversed Trump’s 2020 sanctions in order to back ICC investigations into Russian war crimes in Ukraine; however, Trump reversed Biden’s ending of the sanctions on his first day back in office.

Washington has had a shaky relationship with the ICC going back to the Bush years. Republicans railed against the idea that top US officials could be tried.

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Treasury Targets Iran’s Oil Network In New Sanctions As Trump Stuns By Talking Deal

President Donald Trump has been notoriously hawkish on Iran, as have some of his top national security officials, which is why it was surprising and refreshing for his rhetoric to take a different track in Wednesday statements. Responding to reports that the US and Israel are preparing scenarios to attack Iran and its nuclear sites, Trump stated Wednesday that these reports are “greatly exaggerated” and said that making a deal would be preferable instead.

“I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper. We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!” Trump added.

During his first administration, Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the JCPOA nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, which had been implemented during the Obama administration, and involved the other P5+1 countries of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union.

He also dropped a surprise bombshell upon signing the new executive order to reimpose “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic, though it’s been woefully underreported in the media: 

“There are many people at the top ranks of Iran that do not want to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

Still, Trump claimed when he signed it that he was “unhappy” to do it – perhaps revealing it as leverage and part of his big stick approach which can induce a better deal down the road.

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Trump 2.0 & The “Sanctions Industrial Complex”

As the Washington drawbridge lowers for a second Trump administration, the world attempts to glean any insights that might indicate the direction of his second term. At the top of the list of concerns is the topic of sanctions.

As of 2024, the US is actively sanctioning a third of all nations on earth. As the American populace grew more wary of military entanglements and forever wars, consecutive administrations have exponentially escalated the use of the economic weapon. The Obama administration averaged a total of 500 new sanctions a year, while the first Trump administration doubled it to 1,000 a year, and the Biden administration sextupled the figure—imposing more than 12,000 sanctions in 4 years. Now, many wonder whether a second Trump admin will continue or curb this trend.

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House Passes Bill To Sanction Cooperation With The ICC Following Netanyahu Arrest Warrant

When newly re-elected Speaker Of The House Mike Johnson was first elected to the chair in 2023, his first act of business was to advance a bill providing an additional $14.3 billion in aid to Israel to fund its war in Gaza. This came after the House Of Representatives entered into a period of stasis following the historic success of the Motion To Vacate filed against Kevin McCarthy that would depose him as Speaker Of The House and replace him with Johnson. Despite the backlog of work Congress faced, Johnson’s decision to prioritize aid to Israel over the interests of the American people served as an ominous portent of things to come under his leadership.

Given the legacy that Johnson forged immediately after ascending to the role of Speaker Of The House, it comes as no surprise that the House Of Representatives would pass a bill sanctioning the International Criminal Court following his re-election. The impetus of the bill was to serve as a response to the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Although neither the United States nor Israel are party to the Rome Statute that gives the ICC jurisdiction over them, other nations who are party to it can enforce those arrest warrants. The mere possibility of any of those countries doing so was enough for Congress to go DEFCON 1 in order to protect the Netanyahu regime.

The name of the bill, The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (H.R. 23) reads as if were the title of a polemic, leaving little doubt about the political motives behind it. Under its parameters, any foreign party that investigates, arrests, detains, or prosecutes citizens of the United States or its allies (namely Israel) who are not signatory to the Rome Statute under the directive of the ICC will face severe sanctions. The bill passed the House as one of the first acts of the 119th Congress by a vote of 243-140 without any Republicans voting against it. Sanctions under the present text of H.R. 23 include prohibiting the transaction of any property in the US by those seemed to be assisting the ICC and revocation of their US visas with immediate effect. Additionally, the bill rescinds any existing funds appropriated for the ICC and bars any future appropriations for them.

While the bill has yet to pass the Senate, newly appointed Republican Majority Leader John Thune, the senior senator from South Dakota, has pledged to bring it to a vote in expedited fashion. Given the unconditional support of House republicans for the bill and the majority they hold in the Senate, its passage appears to be an inevitability as does incoming president Donald Trump’s decision to subsequently sign it into law. Given that Trump will not be inaugurated until January 20th and lame duck/brained president Joe Biden has voiced his opposition to the act, a Senate vote will likely coincide with the new administration taking office.

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US Congress backs sanctions on ICC

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) in retaliation for the judicial body’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act would impose sanctions on ICC officials and entities supporting the court’s investigations, arrests, and detentions of Americans and citizens of allied countries. The legislation was passed 243 to 140 on Thursday.

In a statement ahead of the vote, Representative Brian Mast, who leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called The Hague-based judiciary a “kangaroo court.”

The bill will now move to the Senate, where Republicans have the majority. The Democrats blocked a similar bill when they controlled the Senate in June.

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U.S. Sanctions Chinese Cybersecurity Firm Over Cyberattacks

US sanctions Beijing-based Integrity Technology Group for aiding “Flax Typhoon” hackers in cyberattacks on American infrastructure, freezing assets and banning US dealings.

The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Integrity Technology Group, a Beijing-based company, accusing it of involvement in cyberattacks against American infrastructure. The decision, announced on January 3, 2025, has escalated tensions between the US and China over cybersecurity issues.

What’s Behind the Sanctions?

Integrity Technology Group, also known as Yongxin Zhicheng Technology Group, is alleged to have worked closely with the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group “Flax Typhoon.” US officials claim the company played a key role in cyber activities targeting government systems, businesses, and critical infrastructure. Over 250,000 devices worldwide were reportedly compromised in these incidents.

The sanctions freeze the company’s assets in the US and prohibit American entities from doing business with it. By cutting off financial ties, the US aims to limit the group’s resources for continuing cyber operations.

Official Statements and Responses

The US government has stated that these actions are part of ongoing efforts to protect national security and hold cyber offenders accountable. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen commented, “This sends a clear message to entities enabling malicious cyber activity: we will not tolerate these actions.”

China, however, has rejected the accusations. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called the sanctions “baseless” and accused the US of deflecting blame for its own cybersecurity issues. Integrity Technology Group has denied the allegations, claiming it operates within legal bounds and condemning the sanctions as damaging to its reputation.

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Israel’s oldest and most influential newspaper calls for an end to ethnic cleansing and asks other nations to sanction Israel to end hostilities

Amos Shocken, editor (and owner) of the most influential, Israeli daily conservative newspaper, Ha’aretz (equivalent to the NY Times) called upon other countries to take action by imposing sanctions on Israel for its implementation of ethnic cleansing and a second NAKBA (the 1948 forced evacuation and massacres of Palestinians. For Palestinians, Nakba is akin to the Holocaust).

Shocken urged the countries of the world force Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood.

In response, Israel’s “justice minister” Yariv Levin demanded that a law be passed imposing  20-year prison sentences for any Israeli who calls for sanctions…

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