The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned Iraq national Nasr Mohsen Ali Huthele and Kata'ib al-Imam Ali, an Iraqi paramilitary organization, for counterterrorism reasons. The agency didn't release more information by our press time.
The State Department last week criticized a decision by several close U.S. allies to sanction Israeli cabinet members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank (see 2506100013). The sanctions, imposed by Australia, the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Norway, don't "advance U.S.-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war" between Israel and Hamas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
The U.S. appears to have departed from its long-standing policy of keeping national security-related export controls off the negotiating table during trade talks with China last week, said Brad Setser, senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Treasury Department official.
The Bureau of Industry and Security should consider working with companies to help them carry out extra due diligence for certain chip exports and should introduce a notification requirement for exports of advanced AI chips, researchers said in a new report last week. Those and other recommendations could help BIS better prevent illegal chip smuggling, they said.
Panama formally accepted the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on June 12, bringing the number of countries that have accepted the deal to 102. The WTO needs nine more countries to accept to get to two-thirds of the membership, the threshold for the agreement to take effect.
The Council of the European Union on June 12 decided to grant "equivalence" with EU requirements to Ukraine and Moldova regarding field inspection and seed production standards for various seeds. In Ukraine, the EU extended the equivalence to seeds of beet, sunflowers, swede rape and soya beans made and certified in that country. In Moldova, the council granted the equivalence to seeds of fodder plants.
The Council of the EU on June 12 imposed tariffs on agricultural products and fertilizers from Russia and Belarus that weren't subject to the additional customs duties thus far imposed on related products. The council said the goal is to "reduce EU dependence on those imports" and "reduce Russian export revenues" in a bid to limit Russia's ability to fund its war against Ukraine.
The European Commission on June 12 imposed definitive antidumping duties of 131.1% on vanillin from China, the Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security announced. Vanillin is a flavoring used in foods, perfumes and pharmaceuticals, the commission said.
EU member state representatives have finalized their negotiating position on updated foreign direct investment screening rules and are aiming to soon reach an agreement with the European Commission and Parliament on the final text, the Council of the European Union said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection for the agency’s surveys and assessments of U.S. industrial sectors and technologies. The survey data provides "needed information to benchmark industry performance and raise awareness of diminishing manufacturing capabilities,” BIS said in a Federal Register notice. Comments are due Aug. 12.