Secondary Sanctions · Full chronicle and history

Ukrainian President Zelensky stated publicly that the lifting of sanctions on Russia will continue, and said that the diesel deal is merely the first step.

In response to China's sanctions against two officials from Taiwan's diplomatic allies, the U.S. State Department stated that the United States opposes China's coercive behavior and reiterated its concern for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

After Navi Pillay received the award, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions against the International Criminal Court and criticized the institution for having become politicized.

On September 28, 2026, the U.S. Senate passed the Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act (S.4009), a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Ted Cruz and Jeff Merkley, by unanimous consent. The bill requires the U.S. President to impose sanctions on foreign individuals who knowingly participate in, assist, or support China's forced organ harvesting, including freezing their U.S. assets, prohibiting transactions, and revoking or denying visas; it directs the Secretary of State to assess whether the Chinese government is systematically engaged in forced organ harvesting and to submit a special report to Congress; and it extends protections to Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, and other prisoners of conscience. The bill was subsequently sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has released a new wave of sanctions targeting nearly 60 entities, individuals, and vessels, including several companies in China and Hong Kong, alleging they provide support to Iran's nuclear and oil networks.

As of August 24, US Central Command has ordered 71 commercial vessels to change course, disabled 3 vessels, and boarded 2 vessels for inspection to ensure the enforcement of the maritime blockade against Iran.

On September 18, the United States officially signed the Graham Act, comprehensively strengthening sanctions against Russia, extending relevant sanctions against Iran, and clarifying that secondary tariffs of up to 100% can be imposed on third countries importing Russian oil and natural gas, which prompted a response of opposition from the Ministry of Commerce of China.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Select Committee Chairman Moolenaar sent a letter to the Department of the Treasury and the Secretary of State, calling for stronger sanctions on foreign personnel associated with Southeast Asian cyber scam centers.

The foreign secretary of the UK's Labour government announced sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and joined twelve countries in taking action, prompting a strong Israeli backlash.

A POLITICO investigative report dated September 6, 2026 says that Jilin Chemical Fiber Group, a Jilin provincial state-owned enterprise, is suspected of supplying tens of tons of carbon fiber precursor to Russian sanctioned entities for use in manufacturing Russian Shahed attack suicide drones.

The Graham Act, which imposes tariffs, freezes assets, seizes property, and pursues legal accountability against those assisting Iran and Russia, passed with a strong majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against an Egyptian bank's branches in the United Arab Emirates and related Hong Kong shell companies, accusing them of providing multi-billion-dollar money laundering channels for the Iranian regime and terrorist organizations.

The US Treasury Department announced on Monday an economic offensive against Iran, targeting five economic lifelines: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping, warning that those who help Iran evade sanctions will pay the price.

The United States announced sanctions against multiple transnational far-left terrorist networks, including Italy's tech service platform AI Collective and Masabadiel, a front organization related to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, to cut off their financial and digital lifelines.

On Wednesday, US President Trump announced on Truth Social unprecedented and most devastating economic actions and isolation against Iran, targeting oil smuggling, currency swaps, and ship registries, and threatening massive economic consequences for countries providing a lifeline to Tehran.

The US State Department announced sanctions on 5 entities and 8 individuals that helped Cuba import weapons and maintain foreign military cooperation, including Cuba's Defense Minister and a military attaché stationed in China.

The US Treasury Department announced the lifting of sanctions on Iraq's Baghdad Airways, while stating that this does not represent a softening of its stance toward Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

China's Ministry of Commerce has placed 7 US companies on a countermeasures list, tightened exports of drone components to the United States, and launched a national security investigation into imported printers and copiers.

On August 5, 2026, China's Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement stating that, pursuant to the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, it had taken counter-sanctions measures against six US entities, including Applied DNA Sciences, which were suspected of participating in the supply of Taiwan-related military products and technical support.

The Senate and House of Representatives passed the Graham sanctions bill against Russia and Iran by an overwhelming majority. The bill stipulates that if any country dares to be the top buyer of Russian energy, the United States will impose secondary tariffs of up to 100% on its goods exported to the US, specifically naming China and India.

The United States announced on Thursday sanctions against six entities and individuals located in China, India, Russia and Iran, accusing them of providing support to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on multiple companies and individuals in China, India and Russia, accusing them of providing logistics and commercial support to Iran's Mahan Air.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has warned that Moonshot AI's project, Kimi K3, may be stealing U.S. AI models through "distillation" techniques and could potentially use overseas nodes to hijack access to NVIDIA servers. The U.S. government has added Kimi K3 to the Entity List for sanctions.

The U.S. Department of War released the updated Section 1286 list, adding 130 universities and research institutions from China, Russia and Iran, including Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

On July 8, 2026, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced new rules that comprehensively prohibit research projects it funds from cooperating with Chinese military-related and human-rights-related institutions placed on U.S. sanctions and restriction lists, as well as their employees.

The Falun Gong Protection Act calls for sanctions against individuals suspected of participating in grave human rights violations such as the forced harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners. It has twice been passed by the House of Representatives and is currently awaiting consideration by the Senate.

On June 29, 2026, China's Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement expanding export controls on Japan, announcing new sanctions against 40 Japanese entities, of which 20 were placed on the control list and 20 on the watch list, saying the aim is to curb the development of Japan's military industry.

On June 26, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced an expansion of import restrictions on Chinese technology equipment such as Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision and Dahua, bringing some previously approved older-model devices onto the ban list as well.

On June 16, the US Senate unanimously passed a landmark bill defining the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a criminal organization, naming Xi Jinping as a brutal dictator, and listing evidence of crimes including the origin of COVID-19, the fentanyl crisis, and forced organ harvesting.

On June 18, 2026, the United Kingdom announced sanctions against four Chinese entities on the grounds of providing key military equipment to Russia. The Chinese Embassy in the UK issued a statement expressing firm opposition and stating that it had lodged solemn representations with the British side.

On June 13, 2026, the US added Chinese biotech companies including WuXi AppTec to the Entity List.

On May 26, 2026, the UK government added Huobi Global, which operates Huobi (HTX), to its sanctions list, on the grounds that it provided funding and financial services to the Russian government.

China's National Financial Regulatory Administration recently issued verbal guidance suggesting that several major domestic banks suspend issuing new RMB loans to five refineries sanctioned by the U.S. for involvement in Iranian oil transactions.

The U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury and multiple other agencies jointly announced a special operation codenamed targeting scam centers, indicting Chinese criminal suspects, shutting down Telegram channels and fake websites, offering rewards for their capture and sanctioning relevant implicated individuals and entities in Myanmar's Taichang and Cambodia.

Commerce Department officials said the Bureau of Industry and Security's total fines for export violations in 2025 rose from $16 million in 2024 to $324 million, an increase of more than 18-fold.

The US has placed Baghdad Airways on its sanctions list, alleging that the airline provided assistance to the IRGC Quds Force and its proxy organizations in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has revoked the Section 214 operating authorization of China Unicom Americas Operations Co., Ltd.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has revoked the Section 214 operating authorization of China Telecom Americas.