QUESTION: Why did the Department put out a Federal Register Notice clarifying the sanctions on the Sammy Ofer shipping organization at this time?
ANSWER: In issuing this clarification, our intent was to sanction the specific entities in the Sammy Ofer shipping organization that were responsible for providing a tanker to Iran. The use of the name "Ofer Brothers Group," a commonly used trade name, caused confusion for some banks and companies that were trying to comply with U.S. sanctions. The complex nature of the conglomerate's business structure necessitated that we take the time to look closely at these companies in order to ensure that we were identifying the precise legal names of the entities directly responsible for the sanctionable transaction.
