October 20, 2026

Explainer: How the Trump Administration is Aiming to ‘Modernize’ U.S. Sanctions

By: Alex Zerden

This article was originally published in The Sanctions Age.

While sanctions have played a crucial role in the U.S. approach to crises in the Strait of Hormuz and Latin America this year, the Trump administration did not initially prioritize sanctions as a foreign policy tool. Efforts to modernize sanctions policies and procedures have likewise lagged behind. But now, the administration has moved to crystallize its own sanctions modernization program, which combines provisions for sanctions relief along with stronger targeting powers.

To successfully engage the private sector, civil society, and foreign governments, the administration needs to articulate its sanctions modernization efforts in greater detail.

While the administration continues to balance a robust sanctions enforcement policy with important delisting efforts in key jurisdictions, the full contours of the modernization initiative remain undefined and policymakers have yet to meaningfully engage the private sector, civil society, and foreign governments to explain how Trump-branded sanctions are meant to work.

Read the full article in The Sanctions Age.

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