OFAC Issues General Licenses to Respond to COVID-19 in Syria, Venezuela and Iran

OFAC issued three general licenses authorizing through June 17, 2022 certain activities with Syria, Venezuela and Iran in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specifically, OFAC authorized the exportation of services and COVID-19-related transactions involving certain blocked persons and entities that otherwise would be prohibited by:

• the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, through the newly issued General License ("GL") No. 21;

• the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations, through the newly issued GL No. 39; and

• the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations or Executive Order 13224, through the newly issued GL N.

The general licenses expand upon OFAC's existing humanitarian exemptions, exceptions and authorizations, and OFAC clarified their scope and application in FAQs 906, 907, 908, 909, 910 and 911.