As a Russia sanctions bill appears to have more momentum (see 2511170041), Democratic senators declined to say what tariff levels would be effective or appropriate if it becomes law.
The U.S. has given Syria a new 180-day sanctions waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 to help the war-torn country continue its rebuilding effort, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Nov. 10.
China suspended export controls for a year on certain key critical minerals and other dual-use items that were banned from being shipped to the U.S. for military uses, China's Ministry of Commerce said in a Nov. 9 press release. The ban on exports of gallium, germanium, antimony and “superhard materials” was originally instated in December 2024 (see 2412030022). The move comes amid a thaw in the trade conflict between the U.S. and China after talks between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping at the end of last month (see 2510300003).
The EU believes China has suspended its recently announced rare earth export controls for all countries, not just the U.S., but the bloc is still gathering information, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill told reporters in Brussels Nov. 3.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned a network of people and entities for their ties to North Korean money laundering, sanctions evasion and information technology worker fraud. The agency said the network has helped North Korea generate revenue for its weapons programs.
The U.K.’s new trade sanctions enforcement agency warned freight forwarders and carriers this week about their obligation to comply with Russia-related restrictions, saying they risk criminal and civil penalties if they’re not doing enough due diligence to make sure every consignment they deal with complies with U.K. law.
The EU last week updated its guidance regarding the list of partner countries for which importers of petroleum products don’t need to provide customs evidence for the origin of the crude oil to prove it’s not from Russia. The FAQs on pages 2 and 3, updated Oct. 29, include the list of countries that “benefit” from this presumption for crude oil exports during calendar year 2024.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after two days of meeting with Chinese negotiators, he anticipates a threatened additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods won't come Nov. 1, and that the Chinese will defer their critical minerals export control licensing scheme.
A Pakistani national was sentenced to 40 years in prison on charges relating to the transportation of Iranian-origin advanced conventional weaponry, DOJ announced Oct. 23. Muhammad Pahlawan was convicted in June of conspiracy to provide material support to terror groups, providing material support to Iran's weapons of mass destruction program, providing material support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' weapons of mass destruction program and conspiring to ship explosive devices to the Houthi rebel group, DOJ said.
Four Senate Democrats criticized the Trump administration Oct. 23 for ignoring their earlier call to sanction Chinese individuals and entities that buy liquefied natural gas from the U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia.