The banking industry’s increasing overcompliance with U.S. sanctions is leading to an uptick in unnecessary financing delays and transaction cancellations, nongovernmental organizations told the Treasury Department. They said the issues are causing hurdles for humanitarian groups trying to deliver aid abroad and raising discrimination concerns among foreigners living in the U.S.
Morgan Finkelstein is leaving her role as spokesperson for the Treasury Department's Terrorism and Financial Intelligence office to become the national security spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, Finkelstein announced this week on LinkedIn. She has been at Treasury since 2021, where she has served as the agency's senior spokesperson for sanctions issues overseen by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing matters for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and more.
The State Department is seeking public comments on an information collection involving registrations with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. Any person who manufactures, exports, temporarily imports or furnishes defense services, or who participates in certain defense brokering activities, must register certain information with DDTC. Comments are due by Nov. 4.
Eight House Democrats urged Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Sept. 5 to immediately bring up bipartisan Venezuela legislation on the House floor when Congress returns from its August recess next week.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, announced Sept. 5 that officials from four large U.S. computing chip manufacturers will testify at a hearing next week on Russia’s efforts to evade U.S. export controls.
Switzerland on Sept. 4 indefinitely extended its humanitarian exemption from its sanctions regime on Syria. The exemption was first implemented by the EU in February 2023 on a temporary basis after an earthquake created a "grave humanitarian crisis" in the nation. Under the exemption, sanctions don't apply to "activities that are necessary for the humanitarian work of international organizations and some categories of humanitarian actors," the Swiss Federal Council said. The EU in May renewed the exemption for one year (see 2405280013).
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls this week updated its guidance and frequently asked questions for U.S. persons providing defense services abroad.
A new set of advanced technology export controls announced by the Bureau of Industry and Security this week will apply to quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing, 3D printing and other critical technologies that BIS said could be used by foreign militaries to harm U.S. national security. The measures, outlined in an interim final rule released Sept. 5, also include a new license exception that could allow U.S. exporters to continue shipping these technologies to a list of close American allies.
The U.S. on Sept. 3 unsealed charges of terrorism, murder conspiracy and sanctions evasion against six Hamas leaders for their role in planning the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, DOJ announced. The six people -- Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad al-Masri, Marwan Issa, Khaled Meshaal and Ali Baraka -- and their co-conspirators allegedly "control all aspects of the terrorist organization, including its political and military branches," DOJ said.
The U.S. government should make greater use of economic sanctions against the Houthis to weaken the Yemen-based group’s ability to attack international shipping in the Red Sea, a Yemeni think-tank leader recommended Sept. 4.