On July 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the second major action in its sanctions modernization efforts, which Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced in May. The action removed 84 individuals and entities from OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) and improved identifying information for 22 list entries to facilitate compliance.

Reviewing Older Sanctions Entries

The removed individuals and entities include persons and organizations no longer considered U.S. national security or foreign policy priorities. They include some deceased individuals, defunct entities, and targets sanctioned more than 20 years ago. Some of the entries lacked sufficient information for effective compliance screening. OFAC stated that, as with any removal from its sanctions lists, it conducted appropriate interagency review to ensure that the removals would not harm U.S. foreign policy or national security interests.

Treasury said the modernization effort is intended to ensure that U.S. sanctions remain targeted, effective, and aligned with U.S. economic, foreign policy, and national security priorities. The Trump Administration is measuring sanctions success by effect, impact, and benefit, rather than solely by the number of names placed on a list.

OFAC’s review has prioritized older sanctions entries, which sometimes lack identifying information that is now routine for new sanctions actions. In some cases, OFAC determined that updating an entry was more appropriate than removing it. Added identifiers may include place and date of birth, unique identification numbers, nationality, or gender. OFAC said more robust information can make compliance-related screening less burdensome for financial institutions.

  • 84 individuals and entities removed from the SDN List
  • 22 list entries updated with improved identifying information
  • 18 sets of duplicate entries resolved by removing extra entries and updating relevant identifiers

Reconsideration Portal

On June 29, 2026, as part of the ongoing modernization effort, OFAC launched an online Reconsideration Portal. The portal streamlines requests for removal from an OFAC sanctions list for listed persons and property, including submissions made through an authorized representative.

The portal allows persons and property on an OFAC sanctions list, or their authorized representatives, to submit delisting petitions and request certain information underlying sanctions determinations. It asks for key biographic and baseline information needed to adjudicate petitions and provides guidance on organizing submissions. Petitioners may seek to demonstrate either an insufficient basis for designation or a change in circumstances, consistent with the requirements for removal described in 31 C.F.R. § 501.807.