US Places Sanctions on China, Cuba, Iran, Russia and Venezuela

"We cannot allow the foreign military and intelligence organizations of our adversaries in China, Cuba, Russia, Venezuela, and Iran (...) to benefit from U.S. technology," U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement Thursday.

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According to the note, these new controls linked to U.S. technologies prevent those countries' military intelligence industries from "benefiting."

A week before the end of outgoing President Donald Trump's term, his administration has emphasized that the sanctions will affect Cuba's Directorate of Military Intelligence and the Directorate of Military Counter-Intelligence, the Chinese Intelligence Bureau, the Guardian Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the General Bureau of Reconnaissance of North Korea, the Main Directorate of the High Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the Military Intelligence Service of Syria and the General Directorate of Military Counter-Intelligence of Venezuela.

Since Trump's arrival to power in 2017, Washington resumed pressure and sanctions against Cuba, Venezuela, China, Russia, and Iran, among others.

Several countries are subject to unilateral sanctions from Washington. Despite repeated calls, including from the U.S., to lift the restrictive measures affecting these countries, the Trump Administration has refused to remove them.