The short answer is yes – OFAC has a very “long arm.” If you use any US-based services, like Stripe or AWS, or even if your transactions are processed in US Dollars, you are expected to comply with their sanctions. If they find you are serving sanctioned entities, they can block your access to the US financial system entirely. Check out the compliance tips on https://ofacblockedfundslawyers.com/ for startups and small tech firms. They explain why having a basic audit and monitoring system is vital. I have seen a couple of startups get their merchant accounts closed overnight because they didn’t filter out users from prohibited regions. It is much cheaper to implement a simple screening API now than to lose your entire payment infrastructure later. It is all about risk management in the modern global economy.