Beijing last week criticized a decision by France, Germany and the U.K. to initiate snapback U.N. sanctions against Iran (see 2508280033), saying it will hurt diplomacy with Iran. “Initiating the snapback process at the Security Council is not a constructive move, which will disrupt the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said during a regular press conference in Beijing Aug. 29. “China believes that current moves by the Security Council should contribute to resuming dialogue and negotiation rather than create new confrontation and lead to deterioration or even escalation of the situation.” The spokesperson said Beijing wants to “play a constructive role in bringing the issue back to the track of diplomatic settlement as early as possible.”
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, both welcomed the Aug. 28 release of a rule from the Bureau of Industry and Security easing licensing requirements for civilian exports to Syria (see 2508280029).
A newly required annual report to Congress on certain dual-use export license applications could cause exporters to be more cautious about seeking those licenses, a trade lawyer said in an interview.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is removing Chinese affiliates of Samsung and SK hynix from its Validated End-User List, making them ineligible for a general authorization that had allowed them to receive certain controlled technology for their Chinese factories.
The U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit informed traders that the EU recently expanded its lists of export-controlled goods that can be used for "capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The move expands the "scope of controlled items in Annexes II and III" of the EU regulation, the U.K. said. The change took effect Aug. 20 and "applies directly to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework," the agency said, which is a post-Brexit agreement that kept Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods. "The implications for Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) are under consideration and a further update will be published in due course."
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network warned this week about the risks posed to the American financial system by Chinese money laundering networks, urging banks to be “vigilant” in looking out for sanctioned Mexican drug cartels and other designated terrorist groups that may be using those networks.
The U.K. on Aug. 28 amended the chemical weapons-related sanctions listing for Andrei Marchenko, a member of the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence Troops of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The updated entry now includes his middle name, Viktorovich.
France, Germany and the U.K. have begun the process to reimpose U.N. sanctions against Iran after accusing the country of failing to meet safeguards around its nuclear program (see 2508150010). The snapback sanctions, if implemented, would reimpose a host of U.N. restrictions that had been paused under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
House lawmakers have proposed dozens of export control-, sanctions- and foreign investment-related amendments to their chamber’s version of the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including measures aimed at China, Russia and Turkey.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will ease export controls on Syria Sept. 2 by creating a new license exception for the country, making it eligible for a broader set of existing exceptions and revising current BIS license review policies for Syria to “be more favorable.”