China last week announced sanctions against nine American defense companies and their senior executives for arms sales to Taiwan. The measures, taken under China’s anti-foreign sanctions law (see 2309270039 and 2310230032), target Sierra Nevada, S3 Aerospace Defense, ACT1 Federal, Cubic Corp. and others, according to an unofficial translation of a Sept. 18 notice from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry said the sanctions freeze those companies’ assets in China, and Chinese companies will be barred from doing certain business with their executives.
The U.S. and Canada this week sanctioned various Iranian government officials responsible for violence against the Iranian people, targeting members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, officials with Iran’s Prisons Organization, and others responsible for suppressing protesters within the country or Iranians overseas.
Export enforcement officials from the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. met in Washington this week, where they warned businesses about complying with export controls against Russia and committed to expanding joint investigations to penalize violators.
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told a congressional panel Sept. 18 that he will look into the possibility of expanding the export control exemptions that the State Department intends to grant to Australia and the U.K. under the AUKUS security partnership.
Business consulting firm FTI Consulting launched a national security practice that will offer advice on various national security issues, including export controls, reviews before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., sanctions, and "transshipment and diversion of critical technology." Michael Driscoll, former assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York office, will lead the practice.
The EU General Court last week upheld the sanctions listing of Marina Mordashova, who was sanctioned in 2022 for her association with her husband, Alexey Mordashov, chairman of investment firm Severgroup. The court rejected Mordashova's argument that she shouldn't be subject to sanctions because she was no longer married to Mordashov, according to an unofficial translation of the court's decision.
The U.S., Australia and the U.K. are exploring ways to incorporate Japan, Canada, New Zealand and South Korea into defense trade collaboration that was initially begun under the AUKUS partnership, they said in a joint statement this week.
The U.S. recently unsealed a pair of indictments, one against Russian national Denis Postovoy and the other against Chinese national Song Wu, for national security-related offenses. Postovoy is accused of conspiring to commit export control violations by shipping microelectronic components with military applications from the U.S. to Russia, while Song is charged with fraud and identity theft related to efforts to obtain confidential or proprietary software from government agencies, research universities and private companies.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., urged European officials this week to increase sanctions on Iran for supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, Politico reported.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., reiterated his call Sept. 17 for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to schedule Senate floor consideration of the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which the Senate Armed Services Committee marked up in June (see 2407300041). Senators have filed hundreds of potential amendments to the NDAA, including measures to improve export control management and restrict foreign investment (see 2407180045). Republicans accuse Democrats of delaying the NDAA to prevent controversial social issues from coming up before the November elections.