# Office of Foreign Assets Control **Entity class:** Treasury sanctions office **Domain:** Economic sanctions / national security / foreign policy **Doc Type:** Agency Component Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition The **Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)** is the Treasury component that administers and enforces U.S. economic and trade sanctions based on national-security and foreign-policy objectives. OFAC can designate persons and entities, block property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction, restrict transactions, issue licenses, publish compliance guidance, and impose civil penalties under the authorities assigned to particular sanctions programs. Its actions can disrupt the financial access of terrorist organizations, facilitators, proliferators, hostile-state actors, traffickers, cyber actors, and other designated threats. ## Place in the Financial-Intelligence Cycle [[wiki/Treasury Office of Intelligence and Analysis|Treasury OIA]] and other sources can identify networks and support designation packages. OFAC converts applicable intelligence and legal authorities into economic restrictions. Financial institutions then screen customers and transactions against sanctions requirements, producing another feedback surface for compliance, reporting, and investigation. OFAC is not a general criminal-investigative agency and a sanctions designation is not identical to a criminal conviction. Sanctions, intelligence assessment, regulatory reporting, and prosecution are distinct state actions with different authorities and standards. ## Sources / Provenance - [Treasury — Terrorism and Financial Intelligence organization](https://home.treasury.gov/about/offices/terrorism-and-financial-intelligence) - [Treasury OIA — sanctions-analysis workflow](https://home.treasury.gov/about/offices/terrorism-and-financial-intelligence/oia) ## Relationships - **component of:** [[wiki/Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence|Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence]]. - **supported by:** [[wiki/Treasury Office of Intelligence and Analysis|Treasury Office of Intelligence and Analysis]]. - **disrupts:** sanctioned [[wiki/Terrorist Financing|terrorist-financing]] and other illicit networks. - **instrument of:** [[wiki/Economic Statecraft|Economic Statecraft]].