Overview
- An executive order signed on December 16 imposes a full entry ban on citizens of Syria, South Sudan, Niger, Mali, Sierra Leone, Laos, Burkina Faso and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents starting January 1, with new partial restrictions on 15 additional countries and limited exemptions.
- On December 17 the president ordered a “complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela; enforcement specifics remain unclear as U.S. forces surge to the region, oil prices tick higher, and Reuters reports Venezuelan exports have dropped with loaded ships lingering offshore.
- Congress passed a $901 billion defense authorization that allocates $800 million for Ukraine and $175 million for the Baltic Security Initiative, sets a floor for U.S. troop levels in Europe, lifts key Syria sanctions, seeks unedited footage of Caribbean interdictions, and repeals the 1991 and 2002 Iraq war authorizations.
- Treasury on December 18 blacklisted 29 more vessels and their managers tied to Iran’s “shadow fleet” under Executive Order 13902, noting more than 180 Iran-linked tankers sanctioned since the president’s return and citing last week’s seizure of a previously sanctioned supertanker near Venezuela.
- Investigative reporting by the Washington Post and PBS Frontline, corroborated in part by Bellingcat, says a U.S. proposal offering to lift all sanctions if Iran ended proxy support and replaced enrichment sites was rejected, after which limited U.S. military support for Israel was authorized, with at least 71 civilian deaths verified in related strikes.