USA – Trends and Developments
International Trade attorneys Jonathan Epstein, Daniel Goren, Tahlia Townsend and Manny Levitt contributed to Chambers & Partners' 2025 Sanctions practice guide providing an overview of the U.S. economic sanctions framework and recent developments influencing the regulatory environment. The article states the U.S. government continues to deploy sanctions as a central tool of national security and foreign policy, with programs spanning territorial embargoes, list-based designations and sectoral restrictions that carry extraterritorial reach. The authors also describe notable trends, including more frequent designations and expanded use of secondary sanctions, and describe how shifting geopolitical priorities are influencing enforcement activity. In addition, they cover heightened scrutiny across sectors such as maritime shipping and financial services, as well as other enforcement initiatives from agencies such as the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).