US lifts sanctions on number of Russian Sberbank's subsidiaries in Kazakhstan

The US Treasury Department has announced that at least four subsidiaries of Sberbank have been removed from the sanctions list. They are registered in the capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty.

In particular, this is a joint-stock company of Sberbank Russia, which is called TexakaBank.

In addition, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on eight Iranian citizens. In particular:

• Bahram Abdollahinejad – the Director General of the Naji Pars Amin Institute;
• Mahdi Amiri – the technical director of the cyberspace department, deputy prosecutor general of Iran;
• Reza Asgharian – CEO of Naji Pas Company;
• Sayyed Abdolrahim Mousavi – the Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran;
• Golamreza Ramezanian Sani – CEO of Entebagh Gostar Sepehr Company;
• Habib Shahsavari – the commander of the Shohada Provincial Corps of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in the province of West Azerbaijan.

Dariusz Bakhshi and Ali Chaharmahali  were also sanctioned, but their positions were not specified.

The restrictions apply to three Iranian companies - Naji Pas Company, Entebagh Gostar Sepehr Company and Naji Pars Amin Institute.

Recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kazakhstan and met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

• On July 22, the European Union published the text of the seventh package of sanctions against Russia. The list includes the freezing of Sberbank's assets.

• The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, called for strengthening the EU sanctions program against Moscow.