Effective October 22, 2012, receipts of payment of professional fees and reimbursement of incurred expenses for the provision of legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a) to or on behalf of the Government of Iran, an Iranian financial institution, or any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to § 560.211 are authorized from funds originating outside the United States, provided that:

1. (a) Prior to receiving payment for legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a) rendered to the Government of Iran, an Iranian financial institution, or any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to § 560.211, the U.S. person that is an attorney, law firm, or legal services organization provides to the Office of Foreign Assets Control a copy of a letter of engagement or a letter of intent to engage specifying the services to be performed and signed by the individual to whom such services are to be provided or, where services are to be provided to an entity, by a legal representative of the entity. The copy of a letter of engagement or a letter of intent to engage, accompanied by correspondence referencing this paragraph (a), is to be mailed to: Licensing Division, Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Annex, Washington, DC 20220;

2. (b) The funds received by U.S. persons as payment of professional fees and reimbursement of incurred expenses for the provision of legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a) must not originate from:

   1. (1) A source within the United States;
   2. (2) Any source, wherever located, within the possession or control of a U.S. person; or
   3. (3) Any individual or entity, other than the person on whose behalf the legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a) are to be provided, whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to any part of this chapter or any Executive order; and

3. (c) Reports.

   1. (1) U.S. persons who receive payments pursuant to this section in connection with legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a) must submit quarterly reports providing information on the funds received, no later than 30 days following the end of the calendar quarter during which the payments were received. Such reports shall specify:

      1. (i) The individual or entity from whom the funds originated and the amount of funds received; and

      2. (ii) If applicable:

         1. (A) The names of any individuals or entities providing related services to the U.S. person receiving payment in connection with authorized legal services, such as private investigators or expert witnesses;
         2. (B) A general description of the services provided; and
         3. (C) The amount of funds paid in connection with such services;
   2. (2) In the event that no transactions occur or no funds are received during the reporting period, a statement is to be filed to that effect; and
   3. (3) The reports, which must reference this section, are to be mailed to: Licensing Division, Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Annex, Washington, DC 20220.
4. (d) Nothing in this section authorizes any transaction by an entity owned or controlled by a United States person and established or maintained outside the United States otherwise prohibited by § 560.215 if the transaction would be prohibited by any other part of this chapter V if engaged in by a U.S. person or in the United States.

Note to paragraph (b) of § 560.553: This paragraph authorizes the blocked person on whose behalf the legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a) are to be provided to make payments for authorized legal services using funds originating outside the United States that were not previously blocked. Nothing in this paragraph authorizes payments for legal services using funds in which any other person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to any part of this chapter or any Executive order holds an interest.

Note 1 to § 560.553: U.S. persons who receive payments in connection with legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a) do not need to obtain specific authorization to contract for related services that are ordinarily incident to the provision of those legal services, such as those provided by private investigators or expert witnesses, or to pay for such services. Additionally, U.S. persons do not need to obtain specific authorization to provide related services that are ordinarily incident to the provision of legal services authorized pursuant to § 560.525(a).

Note 2 to § 560.553: Any payment authorized in or pursuant to this section that is routed through the U.S. financial system should reference this § 560.553 to avoid the blocking of the transfer.

Note 3 to § 560.553: Nothing in this section authorizes the transfer of any blocked property, the debiting of any blocked account, the entry of any judgment or order that effects a transfer of blocked property, or the execution of any judgment against property blocked pursuant to any part of this chapter or any Executive order.

[77 FR 64666, Oct. 22, 2012, as amended at 77 FR 75849, Dec. 26, 2012]