A new U.K. general license released this week authorizes certain payments involving sanctioned Iranian airline Iran Air. The license, effective Nov. 18, allows payments that are required to "exercise Iran's right" to "overfly the United Kingdom" or "make a Stop for Non-Traffic purposes in the United Kingdom" in line with the Convention on International Civil Aviation and its Annexes. The license also allows for payments from Iran Air for "contractual obligations that arose prior to Iran Air's designation in respect of ground services or airport services in the UK," including ticket refunds from canceled flights to or from the U.K., as long as no payments are made to another sanctioned party.
The U.S. this week sanctioned three entities and several people for their ties to violence in the West Bank or for undermining peace in the region, including an organization that aids Israelis previously designated by the U.S.
The EU expanded the scope of its sanctions framework on Russia to cover vessels and ports used to transfer Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles, missiles and related components for use in the war in Ukraine, the Council of the EU announced Nov. 18. The move bars the "export, transfer, supply, or sale from the EU to Iran of components used in the development and production of missiles and UAVs," the council said, and a ban on transactions with ports and locks that are owned or controlled by sanctioned parties or used to transfer Iranian UAVs, missiles or component parts to Russia.
Export control lawyer Christopher Stagg recently launched a U.S. Munitions List revision tracker to capture updates made to USML categories within the International Traffic in Arms Regulations in recent years. The document reflects changes across all USML categories “since their revision under Export Control Reform,” Stagg said on LinkedIn, adding that he plans to update the tracker with future USML changes. Each category includes the Export Control Reform effective date, any completed regulatory changes along with their Federal Register citations, any proposed modifications and any expected future revisions.
Chinese President Xi Xinping raised concerns about U.S. export controls during what was expected to be his last meeting with President Joe Biden before Donald Trump takes office (see 2411140018), warning the U.S. against pursuing policies that could lead to the decoupling of the two economies.
Chinese and South Korean officials met in China last week for an export control “consultation” to share information about their respective export restrictions, according to an unofficial translation of a Chinese Ministry of Commerce notice. The officials also held “in-depth exchanges” with industry officials who also attended the meeting, China said. “The two sides agreed to further strengthen communication and cooperation, promote the development of bilateral compliant trade, and jointly maintain the stability and smoothness of the global industrial chain and supply chain.”
Correction: Mark Handley, a lawyer with Duane Morris, spoke about European sanctions and export control enforcement during a Nov. 12 virtual event hosted by the Sanctions Center (see 2411120019).
A Venezuelan national was sentenced Nov. 14 to 30 months in prison for his role in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Petroleos de Venezuela, a Venezuelan state-owned oil company, DOJ announced.
The U.N. Security Council, which plans to draft a resolution this month on Sudan’s civil war, should “enforce accountability for member states violating” the arms embargo for Sudan’s Darfur region, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., said Nov. 14.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul., R-Texas, will not seek to lead the panel for another two-year term, a spokesperson said Nov. 15. McCaul had intended to request a waiver from term limits for House Republican committee leaders but has decided not to do so out of respect for his party's rules, the spokesperson said. As chairman, McCaul has advocated for tightening export controls on China, increasing enforcement of Iran sanctions and speeding up delivery of weapons to Israel. In the waning days of the current Congress, McCaul has been seeking to pass legislation restricting outbound investment in China (see 2410070008).