The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a final rule amending the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations and the Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (TSR), effective June 27. The technical amendments clarify the scope of prohibitions on making donations, and amends the TSR to add a definition of the term “financial, material, or technological support.” Another amendment to TSR sets the maximum term of maturity for instruments in which funds may be invested or held within a blocked interest-bearing account at 180 days. Lastly, an amendment corrects a clerical error within the Foreign Terrorist Organizations Sanctions Regulations.

The Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau is asking for comments by Aug. 26 on a proposal to update its regulations on denatured alcohol. The proposed rule would reclassify some spirits from “specially denatured alcohol” (SDA) into the less-restrictive “completely denatured alcohol” (CDA) category. It would remove some SDA formulas, and create new general uses for others. TTB’s proposed rule would also amend some general provisions of TTB’s denatured alcohol regulations, including sections on labeling and export. According to TTB, “the proposed amendments would remove unnecessary regulatory burdens on the industrial alcohol industry as well as TTB, and would align the regulations with current industry practice.”

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau extended the duration of tobacco and processed tobacco import permits from three to five years, as part of a reissue of parts of its tobacco regulations. All current holders of three-year permits must reapply for the new five-year permits, TTB said. The “temporary” final rule, which is effective Aug. 26, incorporates two 1999 TTB rules on tobacco marking and labeling and importer permits, as well as subsequent amendments, and makes “technical changes” throughout.

The governing body of men’s professional tennis circuits agreed to pay more than $48,000 to settle allegations of Iranian Transactions Regulations violations -- caused by multiple salary payments to a tournament official who resides in Iran -- the Office of Foreign Assets Control announced June 12. ATP Tour, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, agreed to pay $48,600 to settle potential civil liability, OFAC said. The agency alleges that between May 8, 2007 and July 15, 2010, ATP approved, facilitated and in some instances made 18 salary payments to an individual who is ordinarily a resident of Iran. The payments were for “services rendered and expenses incurred in connection with ATP tournaments the individual officiated,” OFAC said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added the following individuals and entities to its Specially Designated Nationals List June 12. All were added under Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations unless otherwise noted.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the following individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals List June 11. All were added under Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control added the following individual to its Specially Designated Nationals List June 6:

The Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau relaxed its requirements for listing of alcohol by volume on wine labels, dropping its mandate that the information be listed on the brand label in particular. Effective Aug. 9, alcohol by volume content information will be allowed to be listed on any label on the bottle. The final rule adopts a 2007 proposal meant to align TTB’s regulations with provisions of the World Wine Trade Group labeling agreement that only specifies the four required label elements -- country of origin, alcohol content, net contents, and product name -- be listed in the same “field of view.”

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the following individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals List June 5. All were added under Transnational Criminal Organizations Designations, which stems from a 2011 Executive Order that authorized additional actions to combat transnational organized crime. The individuals named are listed as leaders of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 gang, which has roots in El Salvador.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the following entities to its Specially Designated Nationals List on June 4. All were added under Iranian Transaction Regulations.