WASHINGTON – The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday it is eliminating 76 individuals, ships and organizations from its sanctions blacklist, describing the entries as outdated in an effort designed to enhance enforcement against more complex and dangerous targets.
According to the department, businesses had expressed concerns about having to dedicate substantial resources to screening low-risk targets. Some of these targets included financial networks that no longer operate, or individuals who had passed away.
“Treasury is exploring ways to relieve that burden while helping to prioritize more impactful activities to implement sanctions, including scrutinizing for sanctions evasion,” the department stated in an announcement regarding the removal of entities from the Specially Designated Nationals list.
Sanctions targeting nations including Venezuela, Iran, Syria and Russia have expanded significantly in recent years. The Treasury Department reported that annual new additions to the list jumped from 880 in 2017 to over 3,000 in 2024.
