U.S. technology companies should make use of a Treasury Department license that authorizes certain communication-related transactions with Iran, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said last week. General License D2, issued in September (see 2209230037), can help Iranians obtain tools and access communication services to help them “circumvent government blockages,” the lawmakers said in an Oct. 27 letter to Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Digital Ocean. The companies should be more “proactive in acting pursuant to the broad authorization provided in GLD-2,” said the letter, signed by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and others.
The U.K. released a General License under its Russia and Belarus sanctions regimes pertaining to the provision of legal services, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The license allows for the payment of legal fees by designated individuals and entities to law firms and counsel. The license distinguishes between legal fees issued pre- and post-designation. OFSI imposed a cap of around $574,000, VAT included, on the amount that can be claimed for legal work carried out pre-designation, and an identical cap on overall fees for legal work started post-designation with reporting obligations proving all fees are reasonable.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation imposed two general licenses under its Russia sanctions regime. The Securing Energy for Europe license lets an individual or entity grant a category five loan or enter into an arrangement to grant this loan to Gazprom Germania or any of its subsidiaries. These loans can be issued for over-the-counter gas trading, payments of credit arrangements and invoices by Gazprom or any of its subsidiaries, customer credit arrangements, the provision of clearing services to Gazprom or any of its subsidiaries, payment between Gazprom or any of its subsidiaries, or the provision of financing for letters of credit. The license will run 11:59 p.m. Oct. 28 to 11:59 p.m. Oct. 29, 2023. The Loans and Securities amendment, which runs 11:59 p.m. Oct. 28 to 11:59 p.m. Nov. 5, permits an individual or entity to directly or indirectly enter into an arrangement to grant a category five loan, though it does not permit activity that would otherwise be permitted under the Securing Energy for Europe license.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order this week authorizing new sanctions and trade restrictions against Nicaragua. The U.S. also announced new Nicaragua-related designations and issued a general license.
The U.K. implemented a General License Oct. 17 permitting individuals and entities designated under the Belarus and Russia sanctions regimes and companies owned or controlled by these sanctioned parties to pay funds to the London Court of International Arbitration to cover arbitration costs. The license also permits the LCIA to use funds deposited by sanctioned parties, companies owned or controlled by sanctioned parties or their legal representatives before their listing. The license "is of indefinite duration."
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed a general license that authorizes certain transactions with Russia-based Public Joint Stock Company Transkapitalbank. General License 28A, which replaces GL 28, renews the authorization through 12:01 a.m. EST Jan. 18, 2023, for transactions with TKB and its majority-owned subsidiaries if those transactions are destined for or originating from Afghanistan. The license was scheduled to expire Oct. 20 (see 2204200055).
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman this week urged technology companies to make use of a new Treasury Department general license that authorizes certain communication-related transactions with Iran. General License D-2 (see 2209230037) “represents a moment of opportunity” for tech companies to provide Iranian people with “essential” communication and Internet tools, Sherman said during an event hosted by the Global Network Initiative. Sherman “emphasized the United States’ commitment to helping Iranians, especially in light of their critical need for expanded access to Internet services while their government violently suppresses peaceful protests,” the State Department said in an Oct. 12 statement.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is "undertaking a vigorous outreach effort" to educate companies on the broad China-related export controls announced last week (see 2210070049) and plans to issue guidance soon, a Commerce Department spokesperson said Oct. 12. That guidance will likely take the form of frequently asked questions, the spokesperson said. The agency is also hoping its Oct. 13 public briefing helps answer some industry questions.
The U.K. on Oct. 6 amended a Russia-related General License covering "basic needs, routine holding and maintenance and the payment of legal fees," the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said. The amendment alters the license to "allow any payments in connection with the Insolvency Proceedings of VTB Capital plc and its UK subsidiaries."
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week announced a broad set of new export controls it said will restrict China’s ability to acquire advanced computing chips and manufacture advanced semiconductors. The controls, outlined in an interim final rule that will take effect in phases, will impose new restrictions on a range of advanced computing semiconductor chips and semiconductor manufacturing items, impose controls on transactions for supercomputer end-uses and certain integrated circuit end-uses, and introduce new restrictions on transactions involving certain entities on the Entity List.