US imposes Hezbollah, DPRK-related sanctions: Treasury

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The United States Treasury Department confirmed on Thursday that the US has imposed sanctions on three individuals and two entities in Lebanon over the alleged involvement in providing financial services and procuring weapons for Hezbollah.

In a statement, the Treasury said, "Today, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against two individuals and two companies based in Lebanon for providing financial services to Hizballah, along with an additional individual involved in facilitating weapons procurement for Hizballah."

The sanctions target Adel Mohamad Mansour and Naser Hasan Neser, along with Al-Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies and Auditors for Accounting and Auditing, as reported by Sputnik.

The OFAC also sanctioned Hassan Khalil for allegedly "actively working to procure weapons" on behalf of Hezbollah, Sputnik revealed.

US imposes new DPRK-related sanctions

In the same context, the Treasury announced that the US has imposed new North Korea-related sanctions on three individuals after Pyongyang's latest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile test on November 18.

The OFAC said in a notice on its website that the three senior DPRK officials are Jon Il Ho, Yu Jin, and Kim Su Gil, all of whom were designated for sanctions by the European Union in April.

According to the US Treasury, Jon Il Ho and Yu Jin played major roles in the development of the DPRK's weapons while serving as vice director and director, respectively, of the country's Munitions Industry Department.

It added that Kim Su Gil served as director of the Korean People's Army General Political Bureau from 2018 to 2021 and allegedly oversaw the implementation of decisions related to the weapons of mass destruction program.

In a statement, Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said, "Treasury is taking action in close trilateral coordination with the Republic of Korea and Japan against officials who have had leading roles in the DPRK's unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs."

Nelson added that "recent launches demonstrate the need for all countries to fully implement U.N. Security Council resolutions, which are intended to prevent the DPRK from acquiring the technologies, materials, and revenue Pyongyang needs to develop its prohibited WMD and ballistic missile capabilities." 

Reuters quoted Anthony Ruggiero, who headed DPRK sanctions efforts under former US President Donald Trump, as saying that "targeting senior officials inside North Korea responsible for WMD and missile activities and working with South Korea and Japan are important, but it is an inadequate and symbolic response to 60+ missile tests, including 8 ICBM tests."

It is noteworthy that the last round of DPRK-related sanctions in October targeted two Singapore-registered companies and a Marshall Islands-registered firm that allegedly support Pyongyang's weapons programs and its military.