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02

Chapter 2 · World map

The main sanctions situations

Nine countries and fourteen senders: the UN Security Council, the EU, ten states and two regional groupings. The map is schematic: the tiles show the approximate location, no borders and no sizes. Each tile shows who maintains measures against the country according to the official overviews.

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Schematic world map of sanctions situationsTiles for Cuba, Venezuela, Belarus, Russia, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea showing every documented sender of measures: UN Security Council, EU, US, other states and regional groupings.AMERICASEUROPE AND MIDDLE EASTASIACubaUSVenezuelaUSEUUKCACHNOTIARBelarusUSEUUKCACHNOJPNZKRUARussiaUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUNZKRUASyriaUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUALIranUNUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUUAAfghanistanUNUSEUUKCHNOJPAUMyanmarUSEUUKCACHNOAUNorth KoreaUNUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUKR
UN Security CouncilEuropean UnionUnited Statesother statesregional groupingsSchematic, not to scale. Abbreviations: table “Who sanctions whom”.

CubaUS

US embargo since the early 1960s, tightened in 2026. Plus obstacles within the country.

Imposed by
United States. The overviews of the UN, EU, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Japan and Australia list no regime against Cuba.
Measures
Comprehensive US embargo (Cuban Assets Control Regulations; Helms-Burton Act 1996), tightened twice in 2026: a national emergency and additional tariffs on countries supplying oil (Executive Order 14380 of 29 January 2026), and secondary sanctions on foreign companies and banks (order of 1 May 2026). The EU has no economic sanctions against Cuba. More in chapter 5.
Humanitarian exemptions
Food, medicines and medical devices have been exempt since the US TSRA of 2000, with a licence and against payment in advance without US financing. Family remittances are officially exempt, but since Western Union withdrew in February 2025 they have been hard to receive.

Source: Baker McKenzie, 4 Feb 2026 (EO 14380); King & Spalding, 6 May 2026; TSRA 2000, Public Law 106-387; UN Special Rapporteur, 21 Nov 2025

VenezuelaUSEUUKCACHNOTIAR

US programme remains in place, with broad oil and gas licences since 2026.

Imposed by
United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Rio Treaty (TIAR). In 2019 the Rio Treaty (TIAR) decided asset freezes and entry bans against 29 persons.
Measures
US sanctions programme since 2015; listings remain in place. After the arrest of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, OFAC issued general licences for oil and gas transactions from 29 January 2026 (GL 46 and following). The EU has had its own regime with an arms embargo and listings since 2017.
Humanitarian exemptions
EU: humanitarian exemption since 27 Nov 2023. US: General Licence 60 of 25 June 2026 authorised payments for earthquake relief until 23 October 2026.

Source: Cleary Gottlieb and Akin Gump, Jan 2026 (GL 46); OFAC, Federal Register Doc. 2026-20831, 13 Oct 2026 (GL 60); Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2074; Council of the EU, 27 Nov 2023

BelarusUSEUUKCACHNOJPNZKRUA

EU sanctions, extended in parallel with the Russia packages.

Imposed by
United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Ukraine.
Measures
EU economic and financial sanctions and listings, extended in April and July 2026 in parallel with the 20th and 21st Russia packages. The US also has sanctions.
Humanitarian exemptions
Exemptions with authorisation from the competent national authority; in Germany BAFA for goods, the Bundesbank for funds.

Source: Mayer Brown, Apr and Jul 2026; German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, page “Embargos”, accessed 3 Nov 2026

RussiaUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUNZKRUA

21 EU sanctions packages and the listing package of 12 October 2026; the 22nd package has been announced.

Imposed by
United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Ukraine.
Measures
The EU has sanctioned Russia since 2014 and comprehensively since 2022. The listing package of 12 October 2026 (the 22nd sanctions package has been announced) lists 1,569 further individuals and companies, including 826 companies and 743 individuals; the total is now about 4,600 entries. It contains no new trade restrictions. The US, the United Kingdom and other states also have sanctions.
Humanitarian exemptions
Exemption for exclusively humanitarian purposes in Ukraine (Council, 13 Apr 2022); further exemptions with authorisation from national authorities.

Source: McCann FitzGerald, 30 Oct 2026 (Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2279); Agence Europe, 14 Apr 2022

SyriaUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUAL

Economic sanctions largely lifted in 2025; targeted measures remain.

Imposed by
United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Australia, Arab League. The Arab League sanctions date from 2011; Syria has been a member again since 7 May 2023.
Measures
On 28 May 2025 the EU lifted its economic sanctions and kept measures on security grounds and against those responsible. The US repealed the Caesar Act sanctions in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026 in December 2025; the situation is reviewed every 180 days for four years.
Humanitarian exemptions
With the lifting, most authorisation requirements for trade and payments no longer apply.

Source: EU Sanctions Helpdesk, 28 May 2025; The National, 17 Dec 2025

IranUNUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUUA

UN sanctions back in force since September 2025; their status is disputed in the Security Council.

Imposed by
UN Security Council, United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Australia, Ukraine.
Measures
At the request of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, UN sanctions came back into force on 27 September 2025 (snapback). Iran, Russia and China consider Resolution 2231 to have expired. The EU reintroduced its sanctions on 29 and 30 September 2025. The US maintains comprehensive sanctions.
Humanitarian exemptions
EU: transfers for food, healthcare, medical equipment, agriculture or humanitarian purposes are unrestricted below 10,000 euros, above that subject to notification, and with certain Iranian banks subject to authorisation from 100,000 euros.

Source: Mayer Brown, 3 Oct 2025; UN Security Council, SC/16491 (2026)

AfghanistanUNUSEUUKCHNOJPAU

UN sanctions on the Taliban, with a humanitarian exemption.

Imposed by
UN Security Council, United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Australia.
Measures
UN Security Council sanctions regime under Resolution 1988 (2011): asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo against listed Taliban individuals. The monitoring team’s mandate was extended by one year in February 2026.
Humanitarian exemptions
Resolution 2615 (2021) allows humanitarian assistance despite the listings; Resolution 2664 (2022) creates a general humanitarian exemption.

Source: UN Security Council, Resolutions 1988 (2011), 2615 (2021), 2664 (2022); Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 Feb 2026

MyanmarUSEUUKCACHNOAU

EU measures extended until 30 April 2027.

Imposed by
United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Australia.
Measures
On 27 April 2026 the EU extended its measures: asset freezes and travel bans on 105 individuals and 22 entities, an arms embargo, and export bans on surveillance equipment and on dual-use goods for the military and border police.
Humanitarian exemptions
EU humanitarian exemption since 27 Nov 2023.

Source: Council of the EU, 27 Apr 2026, as reproduced by Progressive Voice Myanmar, 27 Apr 2026; Council of the EU, 27 Nov 2023

North KoreaUNUSEUUKCACHNOJPAUKR

UN sanctions since 2006; the UN panel of experts ended in 2024, and eleven states have monitored since.

Imposed by
UN Security Council, United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Australia, South Korea.
Measures
UN Security Council sanctions since Resolution 1718 (2006). After a Russian veto on 28 Mar 2024 the mandate of the UN panel of experts ended. Since October 2024 a monitoring team of eleven states (MSMT), including Germany, has reported. Its report of 18 September 2026 estimates 35,600 to 101,280 North Korean workers abroad, earning 450 to 800 million US dollars in 2025.
Humanitarian exemptions
Resolution 2664 (2022) applies here too; EU humanitarian exemption since 31 Mar 2023.

Source: JURIST, 28 Mar 2024; MSMT, joint statement of 18 Sep 2026 (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs); Government of Ireland, 31 Mar 2023

Further regimes

The EU has further regimes of its own, including on Nicaragua, Burundi, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Bosnia and Herzegovina and against cyber-attacks; a humanitarian exemption has applied to them since 27 November 2023. There are also United Nations regimes, including on Haiti, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.

Source: Council of the EU, 27 Nov 2023 (via ReliefWeb); Government of Ireland, 31 Mar 2023

Chapter 2 · Overview

Who sanctions whom

For the nine countries on the map, the table shows which actors maintain measures there. Only what the actor’s official overview or the cited source names is entered; the source is given in each row. As of 3 November 2026.

Matrix: actors (rows) and target states (columns); a dot means a documented regime or documented listings.
ActorCubaVenez.BelarusRussiaSyriaIranAfgh.MyanmarN. KoreaSource
UNUN Security Council●a●●UN Security Council, overview of sanctions committees (15 active regimes), accessed 3 Nov 2026
USUnited States●●●●●b●●●●OFAC, Sanctions Programs and Country Information, accessed 3 Nov 2026 (Syria: PAARSS programme)
EUEuropean Union●●●●●●●●Profiles in this chapter; Afghanistan: Regulation (EU) No 753/2011
UKUnited Kingdom●●●●●●●●GOV.UK, UK sanctions regimes, lists updated up to 30 Oct 2026
CACanada●●●●c●●●Global Affairs Canada, Current sanctions imposed by Canada; Syria: page of 31 Jul 2026 (SOR/2026-23)
CHSwitzerland●●●●●●●●SECO, sanctions ordinances (28 entries), accessed 3 Nov 2026
NONorway●●●●●●●●DEKSA (Norwegian Agency for Export Control and Sanctions), Applicable Sanctions, accessed 3 Nov 2026
JPJapan●●●●●●Ministry of Finance of Japan, overview of economic sanctions, as of 2 Oct 2026
AUAustralia●●●●●●DFAT, Sanctions snapshot (UN and autonomous regimes), accessed 3 Nov 2026
NZNew Zealand●g●MFAT, Russia Sanctions (Russia Sanctions Act 2022); SunLive, 17 May 2022 (Belarus)
KRSouth Korea●f●f●Korea JoongAng Daily, 2 Dec 2022 (own North Korea listings); Korea Times, 5 Sep 2024 (export bans)
UAUkraine●●●President of Ukraine, 1 Jul 2025 (adoption of EU listings on Russia, Belarus, Iran)
TIARRio Treaty (TIAR)●eCongressional Research Service, IN11116, 11 Dec 2019
ALArab League●dSIPRI, arms embargoes database, accessed 3 Nov 2026
  • aIn force again since 27 Sep 2025 at the request of France, Germany and the United Kingdom; Iran, Russia and China dispute this.
  • bThe Caesar Act sanctions were lifted in December 2025; targeted measures continue under the PAARSS programme.
  • cBroad sectoral bans lifted on 13 Feb 2026; listings remain.
  • dEconomic and financial sanctions from November 2011, arms embargo from 3 Dec 2011; SIPRI found no formal lifting after readmission in 2023.
  • eDecisions of 23 Sep 2019 (16 of 19 states parties) and 3 Dec 2019 (29 persons); a later status is not documented.
  • fExport bans, covering 1,402 items since 9 Sep 2024.
  • gBelarusian persons and defence firms, listed under the Russia Sanctions Act (17 May 2022).

How to read the table: an empty cell means that the actor’s overview consulted names no regime of its own for that country. It does not mean that nothing applies there: decisions of the UN Security Council bind all member states (Art. 25 UN Charter), and many states implement them in their own law. Measures by Russia, China and Iran are aimed mainly at states that are not on the map; they are described below the table. The table does not judge whether a measure is justified.

United Nations

The 15 active sanctions regimes of the Security Council

  • Al-Shabaab (Committee 2713)
  • ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida (1267)
  • Iraq (1518)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo (1533)
  • Sudan (1591)
  • Lebanon, attack on Rafiq Hariri (1636)
  • North Korea (1718)
  • Iran (1737)
  • Libya (1970)
  • Taliban (1988)
  • Guinea-Bissau (2048)
  • Yemen (2140)
  • South Sudan (2206)
  • Haiti (2653)
  • Central African Republic (2745)

The number in brackets is the resolution after which the committee is named. On 6 November 2025 the Council removed Syria’s transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa and interior minister Anas Khattab from the ISIL and Al-Qaida list (Resolution 2799, 14 votes in favour, China abstaining).

Source: UN Security Council, overview of sanctions committees, accessed 3 Nov 2026; ASIL, on Resolution 2799 of 6 Nov 2025

Countermeasures and own sanctions: Russia, China, Iran

Russia

Import ban and list of “unfriendly” states

Since August 2014 Russia has banned imports of certain foods from the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Liechtenstein. In September 2026 the government extended the ban to 31 December 2028.

Since early 2022 the government has kept a list of “unfriendly” states and territories; certain transactions with partners from these states require approval.

Source: HortiDaily, 22 Sep 2026; Al Jazeera, 8 Mar 2022

Iran

Countersanctions against persons from the EU and the United Kingdom

On 24 April 2023 the Iranian foreign ministry imposed sanctions on 17 persons and 4 entities from the EU and the United Kingdom, among them eight European lawmakers and the German-Israeli Society. Tehran described this as a response to European sanctions against Iranian officials.

Source: Asharq Al-Awsat, 25 Apr 2023

China

Lists, countermeasures, export controls

China keeps an Unreliable Entity List (81 entries in total up to 7 Aug 2026, including suspended ones) and, under the 2021 Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, a countermeasure list (78 persons, 89 entities).

Examples: ban on exports of dual-use items to military users in Japan (6 Jan 2026); first blocking order against US listings of Chinese refineries (2 May 2026); 14 EU companies placed on the export control list in response to the EU’s 21st Russia package (24 Jul 2026). The rare-earth export controls of 9 Oct 2025 are suspended until 10 Nov 2026; the controls of 4 Apr 2025 on seven rare earths remain in force.

Source: AnJie Broad via China Law Vision, 14 Aug 2026; GTAI, January 2026; Pillsbury, 13 Nov 2025

Regional groupings

African Union

Suspension after coups

After unconstitutional changes of government the Peace and Security Council suspends membership. Guinea-Bissau was suspended on 28 Nov 2025, Madagascar after the coup in October 2025. Sudan has been suspended since October 2021; the Council confirmed this in February 2026. Amani Africa lists Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Niger as further countries in transition.

Source: Amani Africa, 16 Dec 2025; JURIST, February 2026

ECOWAS

Economic Community of West African States

After the coup in Niger in July 2023, ECOWAS suspended commercial and financial transactions, froze Niger’s assets at the central banks and imposed travel bans. On 24 February 2024 it lifted these sanctions, as well as financial and economic sanctions on Guinea and restrictions on Mali.

Source: JURIST, 24 Feb 2024

Arab League

Syria 2011 to 2023

In November 2011 the League imposed economic and financial sanctions on the Syrian government and suspended Syria’s membership; an arms embargo applied from 3 Dec 2011. Syria was readmitted on 7 May 2023. SIPRI found no formal lifting of the embargo.

Source: SIPRI, arms embargoes database; Al-Monitor, 7 May 2023

OAS and Rio Treaty

Cuba 1962, Venezuela 2019

The Organization of American States excluded the government of Cuba from participation in 1962; on 3 June 2009 the General Assembly declared that decision without effect (AG/RES. 2438). Under the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR), 16 of 19 states parties decided on 23 Sep 2019 on asset freezes against officials of the Maduro government; a list of 29 persons followed on 3 Dec 2019.

Source: OAS, AG/RES. 2438 (XXXIX-O/09); Congressional Research Service, IN11116, 11 Dec 2019

Sources in this chapter

  • Baker McKenzie, 4 Feb 2026 (EO 14380)
  • King & Spalding, 6 May 2026
  • TSRA 2000, Public Law 106-387
  • UN Special Rapporteur, 21 Nov 2025
  • Cleary Gottlieb and Akin Gump, Jan 2026 (GL 46)
  • OFAC, Federal Register Doc. 2026-20831, 13 Oct 2026 (GL 60)
  • Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2074
  • Council of the EU, 27 Nov 2023
  • Mayer Brown, Apr and Jul 2026
  • German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, page “Embargos”, accessed 3 Nov 2026
  • McCann FitzGerald, 30 Oct 2026 (Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2279)
  • Agence Europe, 14 Apr 2022
  • EU Sanctions Helpdesk, 28 May 2025
  • The National, 17 Dec 2025
  • Mayer Brown, 3 Oct 2025
  • UN Security Council, SC/16491 (2026)
  • UN Security Council, Resolutions 1988 (2011), 2615 (2021), 2664 (2022)
  • Pajhwok Afghan News, 13 Feb 2026
  • Council of the EU, 27 Apr 2026, as reproduced by Progressive Voice Myanmar, 27 Apr 2026
  • JURIST, 28 Mar 2024
  • MSMT, joint statement of 18 Sep 2026 (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
  • Government of Ireland, 31 Mar 2023
  • Council of the EU, 27 Nov 2023 (via ReliefWeb)
  • UN Security Council, overview of sanctions committees, accessed 3 Nov 2026
  • ASIL, on Resolution 2799 of 6 Nov 2025
  • HortiDaily, 22 Sep 2026
  • Al Jazeera, 8 Mar 2022
  • Asharq Al-Awsat, 25 Apr 2023
  • AnJie Broad via China Law Vision, 14 Aug 2026
  • GTAI, January 2026
  • Pillsbury, 13 Nov 2025
  • Amani Africa, 16 Dec 2025
  • JURIST, February 2026
  • JURIST, 24 Feb 2024
  • SIPRI, arms embargoes database
  • Al-Monitor, 7 May 2023
  • OAS, AG/RES. 2438 (XXXIX-O/09)
  • Congressional Research Service, IN11116, 11 Dec 2019

All references with dates are in the list of sources.