U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles last week to discuss the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) agreement, under which the countries share defense technology. Hegseth said President Donald Trump is “very familiar with the agreement and equally supportive of it,” according to a Pentagon press release published after the meeting. Hegseth added that “this is not a mission in the Indo-Pacific that America can undertake by itself. It has to [include] robust allies and partners. Technology sharing and subs are a huge part of it."
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., criticized the State Department Feb. 7 for moving ahead with possible arms sales to Israel while he was still reviewing the potential transactions.
The first few weeks of the new Trump administration have shown that there appears to be a “fair amount of continuity” from the Biden administration on certain China trade policies, including around export controls and outbound investment restrictions, a former Biden National Security Council official said.
Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp. is abandoning its plan to purchase U.S. Steel and is instead hoping to make a “big investment” in the American company, President Donald Trump said during a Feb. 7 press conference.
A new executive order signed last week by President Donald Trump authorizes sanctions against people and entities linked to the International Criminal Court, including ICC officials, employees and their relatives. Trump signed the order in response to the ICC’s investigation of the Israeli military for war crimes in Gaza, including its issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials.
The Treasury Department is expected in the near future to provide its input on legislation that lawmakers plan to propose again to restrict U.S. outbound investment in China, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said Feb. 7.
The European Commission is considering exempting more than 80% of companies that otherwise would be subject to import tariffs under the bloc’s upcoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said this week. Hoekstra said the EU has found that the law may disproportionately target companies that aren’t responsible for most carbon emissions.
Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., said Feb. 4 that he intends to reintroduce a bill aimed at denying Iran's government access to the U.S. financial system. His No U.S. Financing for Iran Act, which he previously offered in October 2023, would prevent Iran from using U.S. financial institutions to engage in trade-related transactions, except for humanitarian purposes. Huizenga disclosed his plans in a statement welcoming President Donald Trump’s move to increase pressure on Iran over its support for terrorism (see 2502050020).
Eight Republican members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, urged the State Department this week to sanction Chinese entities involved in transferring missile propellant ingredients to Iran.
The State Department officially published the Cuba Restricted List in the Federal Register this week, days after the Trump administration reinstated the list as part of an effort to reverse last-minute moves by President Joe Biden that removed certain sanctions against the country (see 2502030055, 2501220008 and 2501170021). Entities on the list are generally blocked by the Cuban Assets Control Regulations from participating in financial transactions with U.S. parties, and the Bureau of Industry and Security will generally deny export applications "for use by entities or subentities" on the list.