The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 29 renewed an authorization for certain Russia-related energy transactions. General License 8I, which replaced GL 8H, authorizes certain transactions with several Russian energy companies through 12:01 a.m. EDT Nov. 1. The license was previously scheduled to expire May 1 (see 2310250012).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 26 deleted two Russia-related entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List: Ice Pearl Navigation Corp. and crude oil tanker Yasa Golden Bosphorus. OFAC sanctioned both in 2023 for transporting Russian oil sold above the global price cap set by the U.S. and its allies (see 2310120029). The agency didn’t say why it removed the designations.
The U.S. should rethink its export control enforcement efforts by creating an ecosystem of preapproved, trusted sellers and logistics providers instead of blacklists of bad actors, a researcher with the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a report this month. The report said some of those companies would be required to earn an export compliance certification, use digital waybills to reduce chances of documentation fraud and help trace sensitive exports, and submit monthly reports to the Bureau of Industry and Security about suspicious consignments.
The State Department on April 30 released proposed regulations to implement an exemption from International Traffic in Arms Regulations licensing requirements for Australia and the U.K. under the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) Enhanced Trilateral Security Partnership.
The EU extended its restrictive measures against those responsible for threatening the sovereignty of Moldova and those related to the situation in Myanmar, the Council of the EU announced. The Moldova sanctions currently apply to 11 individuals and one entity and were extended until April 29, 2025. The Myanmar sanctions apply to 103 individuals and 21 entities and were extended until April 30, 2025.
The U.K. customs agency announced seven settlements with companies for their breaches of sanctions on Russia and export controls, including one exceeding $1.3 million with an unnamed exporter and related to the "export of goods in breach of" the sanctions on Russia.
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office on April 22 announced the arrest of three German nationals for allegedly working for the Chinese Secret Service and exporting a "special laser" to China without authorization in violation of the Foreign Trade Act, according to an unofficial translation. The laser is subject to the EU Dual-Use Regulation, making its unlicensed export illegal, the office said.
Chinese nationals Han Li and Lin Chen were charged for their role in a conspiracy to illegally export controlled U.S. technology to Chinese end users, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Export Administration Regulations, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced.
Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a letter called on President Joe Biden to increase enforcement of Iran sanctions, especially in the lucrative oil and gas sector, to reduce the revenue Tehran has available to “fund aggression and terrorism in the Middle East and beyond,” the lawmakers said last week.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., urged the Commerce Department last week to immediately revoke all export licenses to China’s Huawei, saying the Bureau of Industry and Security is allowing a foreign adversary's company to obtain too much advanced U.S. technology.