US Sanctions Against a Turkish Citizen for 'Circumventing Iran Sanctions'

On Thursday, February 7, the US Treasury Department announced that it would impose sanctions on a Turkish citizen due to repeated violations of its sanctions against the Iranian government. The statement from the US Treasury indicated that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has placed Oren Kayakiran, a Turkish citizen and manager of a branch of a Turkish company, on the sanctions list for violating Iran sanctions. According to the statement, the company managed by Oren Kayakiran collaborated with Iran in violation of US sanctions during a period when it had a contract with an American company. He then attempted to conceal documents and evidence of this relationship. Sigal Mandelker, the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the Treasury Department, stated that Oren Kayakiran was sanctioned not only for violating Iran sanctions but also for attempting to hide this illegal relationship. Mandelker emphasized that this is the first time OFAC has placed an individual on the list of foreign sanctions evaders. She added that this action serves as a clear warning to those in supervisory or managerial positions who compel employees to falsify records or commit fraud or obstruct investigations into sanctions violations. According to the report, Oren Kayakiran violated US sanctions six times between 2013 and 2015. The names of the companies involved were not disclosed in the Treasury Department's statement. Oren Kayakiran was noted to be the manager of a company involved in the manufacture and distribution of motion control equipment (industrial automation systems) and had represented an American company in 2013.