What is a sanctioned jurisdiction?

A sanctioned jurisdiction is a country, region, or territory against which the US has imposed comprehensive sanctions — meaning that virtually all transactions involving US persons, goods, or dollars are prohibited. The five comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions are: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Crimea/occupied Ukraine regions.

Comprehensive vs. targeted

Comprehensive sanctions apply to the entire jurisdiction. Targeted (list-based) sanctions apply to specific individuals and entities within a country, but not the country as a whole. Russia is an example of targeted sanctions (extensive but not comprehensive) — most transactions with non-designated Russian persons are not prohibited.