United States government sanctions are financial and trade restrictions imposed against individuals, entities, and jurisdictions whose actions contradict U.S. foreign policy or national security goals. Financial sanctions are primarily administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), while export controls are primarily administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).
Restrictions against sanctioned targets vary in severity. Comprehensive sanctions currently target Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and certain conflict regions of Ukraine, heavily restricting nearly all trade and financial transactions between U.S. persons and those regions. Targeted sanctions focus on specific individuals or entities engaged in activities contrary to U.S. foreign policy or national security goals. The U.S. also implements "secondary sanctions," which risk a sanctions designation against a non-U.S. person who transacts with sanctioned parties in violation of U.S. sanctions law, even where no U.S.-jurisdictional nexus existed.
Critics of the United States sanctions program raise humanitarian concerns related to adverse impacts felt by populations whose governments or economies have been sanctioned, as well as cases where sanctions were not effective in deterring adversarial activities.
History After the failure of the Embargo Act of 1807, the federal government of the United States took little interest in imposing embargoes and economic sanctions against foreign countries until the 20th century. United States trade policy was entirely a matter of economic policy. After World War I, interest revived. President Woodrow Wilson promoted such sanctions as a method for the League of Nations to enforce peace. However, he failed to bring the United States into the League, and the U.S. did not join the 1935 League sanctions against Italy.
According to communications studies academic and political scientist Immanuel Ness, trends in whether the United States has unilaterally or multilaterally imposed sanctions have changed over time. During the Cold War, the United States led unilateral sanctions against Cuba, China, and North Korea. Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, United States sanctions became increasingly multilateral. During the 1990s, the United States imposed sanctions against countries it viewed as rogue states—such as Zimbabwe, Yugoslavia, and Iraq—in conjunction with multilateral institutions such as the United Nations or the World Trade Organization. Davis and Ness state that in the 2000s, and with increasing frequency in the 2010s, the United States acted less multilaterally as it imposed sanctions against perceived geopolitical competitors such as Russia and China, or countries that were the site of "proxy conflicts" such as Yemen and Syria.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and some members of the United States Congress asked the United States to suspend its sanctions regimes as a way to help alleviate the pandemic's impact on people in sanctioned countries. Members of Congress who argued for suspension included Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar.
According to a 2024 analysis by The Washington Post, 60% of low-income countries were under some form of U.S. financial sanction, and the U.S. imposes three times as many sanctions as any other country or international body.
Legal framework
Authorizing laws Several laws delegate embargo power to the President: Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 Export Administration Act of 1979
Several laws specifically prohibit trade with certain countries: Cuban Assets Control Regulations of 1963 Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 Helms–Burton Act of 1996 (Cuba) Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 Trade Sanction Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (Cuba) Iran Freedom and Support Act of 2006 Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010
Implementing agencies Bureau of Industry and Security Directorate of Defense Trade Controls Office of Foreign Assets Control U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Department of Commerce (Export Administration Regulations, EAR) United States Department of Defense United States Department of Energy (nuclear technology) United States Department of Homeland Security (border crossings) United States Department of Justice (including ATF and FBI) United States Department of State (International Traffic in Arms Regulations, ITAR) United States Department of the Treasury
Types of sanctions Types of restrictions the United States may impose through sanctions include: bans on arms-related exports,Haidar, J.I., 2017."Sanctions and Exports Deflection: Evidence from Iran," Economic Policy (Oxford University Press), April 2017, Vol. 32(90), pp. 319-355. controls over dual-use technology exports, restrictions on economic assistance, financial restrictions such as: authority to prohibit U.S. citizens from engaging in financial transactions with listed individuals, entities, or governments, except by license from the U.S. government, requiring the United States to oppose loans by the World Bank and other international financial institutions, diplomatic immunity waived, to allow families of terrorism victims to file for civil damages in U.S. courts, tax credits for companies and individuals denied for income earned in listed countries, duty-free goods exemption suspended for imports from those countries, and prohibition of U.S. Defense Department contracts above $100,000 with companies controlled by listed countries, visa restrictions preventing certain individuals from entering the U.S.
Targeted parties
The U.S. does not maintain a single list of countries U.S. persons cannot do business with, as its sanctions program varies in scope. Although some sanctions programs are broad and target entire jurisdictions ("comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions"), most are "targeted" sanctions focused on specific entities, individuals, or economic sectors. Depending on the nature of the restriction, U.S. sanctions are announced and implemented by different executive departments, typically the Treasury Department (OFAC) or the Commerce Department (BIS), and sometimes in conjunction with the State, Defense, or Energy departments.
Comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions Comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions are subject to the most restrictive sanctions measures. Most transactions between a U.S. person and any person or entity "ordinarily resident" in a comprehensively sanctioned jurisdiction are restricted. In addition to the general sanctions listed below, transactions involving entities or individuals from these countries on OFAC's SDN List or BIS' Entity List are also restricted.
Jurisdiction/Region Summary of certain restrictions Treasury: Prohibition from doing business or investing in Cuba without a license Commerce: License required for the export or reexport of all items on the Export Administration Regulations except food, medicine, medical devices, items necessary to ensure safe civil aviation, items necessary for environmental protection, items to improve telecommunication services, and items destined to the Cuban government to benefit the Cuban people State: Designation as State Sponsors of Terrorism Treasury: Prohibition on the importation, exportation, and reexportation of goods, services, and technology from/to Iran Prohibition on transactions with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their financial facilitators, such as the National Iranian Oil Company and National Iranian Tanker Company Commerce: License required for the export or reexport of most items on the Export Administration Regulations State: Designation as State Sponsors of Terrorism Treasury: Financial block on the government of North Korea and the Workers' Party of Korea Prohibition on the importation, exportation and reexportation of goods, services (including financial services), and technology from/to North Korea Prohibition on new investments in North Korea Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2270 Commerce: License required for the export or reexport of all items on the Export Administration Regulations except food or medicine State: General prohibition on travel to North Korea Designation as State Sponsors of Terrorism Treasury: Financial block on certain elements and officials of the Russian government including the Central Bank of Russia, Ministry of Finance, and Vladimir Putin, as well as Russian financial institutions Prohibitions on the import to and export from Russia of certain items Prohibitions on new investment in certain sectors of the Russian economy Commerce: License required for the export or reexport of all items on the Export Administration Regulations License required for the export or reexport of certain foreign-produced items made with U.S. inputs (Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea only)Treasury: Prohibition on new investment in Donetsk, Luhansk, or Crimea Prohibition on the importation and exportation of any goods, services, or technology to/from Donetsk, Luhansk, or Crimea Commerce: License required for the export or reexport of all items on the Export Administration Regulations except food, medicine, or software necessary to enable the exchange of personal communications over the Internet Treasury: Prohibition on transactions with major Belarusian state-owned enterprises, financial institutions, and designated officials Restrictions on providing certain services, including financial, accounting, trust, and corporate formation services Commerce: License required for the export or reexport of nearly all items on the Export Administration Regulations due to Russia‑aligned export controls License required for certain foreign-produced items incorporating U.S. technology Note: Belarus is not formally designated by OFAC as a "comprehensively sanctioned jurisdiction," but U.S. restrictions are extensive and closely aligned with those applied to Russia.
Targeted sanctions
In jurisdictions not subject to comprehensive sanctions, only transactions related to specific parties are prohibited. Jurisdictions that face targeted sanctions may continue to do business with the United States, with restrictions only placed on specific categories of individuals or entities, and anyone worldwide who materially supports or provides financial, logistical, or technological support for them.
According to OFAC, there are approximately 12,000 names on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN list), which is the most restrictive category of targeted U.S. sanctions, targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, and international criminals such as drug traffickers by blocking their U.S. assets and restricting U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with them.
The following jurisdictions have a specific OFAC sanctions program for SDN designations targeting individuals or entities engaging in sanctionable activities: