U.S. Department of the Treasury removes 76 outdated targets from the SDN List under sanctions modernization initiative

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has removed 76 outdated entries from its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List as part of Treasury’s sanctions modernization initiative. The removals cover targets that Treasury no longer considers appropriate for continued listing, with the stated aim of keeping sanctions targeted, effective, and aligned with U.S. economic, foreign policy, and national security priorities. The delistings include deceased individuals, scrapped or decommissioned vessels, persons tied to illicit financial networks that no longer exist, and individuals designated more than 10 years ago who lack sufficient identifiers for continued screening and do not appear to pose an ongoing threat. OFAC said each removal went through an interagency vetting process to ensure it would not harm U.S. foreign policy or national security interests. Treasury also used the announcement to set out a broader review of sanctions effectiveness, noting that annual new listings rose from 880 in 2017 to more than 3,000 in 2024, increasing screening burdens for businesses. It is exploring ways to reduce low-risk screening and false-positive costs while reviewing sanctions programs that have not produced measurable outcomes or no longer support national security priorities.