General License 25 effectively suspends OFAC sanctions targeting Syria. Stringent US export control restrictions on exports and reexports to Syria remain.

By Les P. Carnegie, Damara Chambers, Charles Claypoole, Andrew P. Galdes, Robert Price, Eric S. Volkman, Ruchi G. Gill, Amaryllis Bernitsa, Monica Calce, Matthew Crawford, Eric Green, Matthew R. Gregory, Joelle Hageboutros, Margaret Hynds, Thomas F. Lane, Juan Miramontes, Katherine Ryan, C.J. Rydberg

The designations expand US tools and jurisdictional reach, and raise the stakes for foreign financial institutions and non-US companies to avoid dealing with designated entities.

By Eric Volkman and Lucas Baker

On February 20, 2025, the US Department of State designated eight drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). This action implements Executive Order 14157 and is also in accordance with the US Attorney General’s February 5, 2025, Memo (“Total Elimination of Cartels and