The U.S. should be prepared to reimpose sanctions on Syria if the country’s new government does not head in the right direction, a researcher told a congressional panel June 5.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., plans to force Senate votes as early as the week of June 9 and “certainly this month” on joint resolutions of disapproval that would block $3.5 billion in arms sales to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the lawmaker said at the Center for American Progress June 5. Murphy introduced the resolutions last month, citing ethical concerns about President Donald Trump's ties to both countries (see 2505150069).

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture approved an FY 2026 appropriations bill June 5 that would add the USDA to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review agricultural transactions. A similar provision was included in an FY 2024 appropriations law (see 2403110058). The new bill also would provide funding to improve the tracking system for foreign-owned agricultural land.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy voted 15-13 June 5 to approve a bill that would eliminate a requirement that the Energy Department authorize liquefied natural gas exports, leaving the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the sole authority for the approval process. The Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act is intended to prevent a future administration from banning the issuance of U.S. LNG export permits. The full House passed the bill in the last Congress (see 2503070048).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned more than 40 people and entities tied to Iranian brothers Mansour, Nasser and Fazlolah Zarringhalam, who have laundered billions of dollars’ worth of funds through the international financial system for Iran's “shadow banking” network, the Treasury Department said. The designations target front companies in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong along with "affiliated businessmen" and others who have ties to sales of Iranian energy.

The Bureau of Industry and Security has completed a round of interagency review for two export-control-related notices that could outline general authorizations for certain controlled exports. One notice is titled “GENERAL AUTHORIZATION NO. 1 Limited Use Cases,” and the other is “GENERAL AUTHORIZATION NO. 2 Temporary Importation.” BIS sent both notices to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on May 19, and the reviews were completed June 5. A BIS spokesperson didn't respond to a request for more information.

The Bureau of Industry and Security's recently issued advanced chip guidance appears to raise compliance expectations for industry, especially for banks and forwarders that may be indirectly or inadvertently violating export controls on China, lawyers said.

Gas and oil pipeline company Enterprise Products Partners said last week that it has received notice that the Bureau of Industry and Security plans to deny its request to ship ethane to China.

Shippers are continuing to press the Federal Maritime Commission for clarity around which agency should regulate certain rail storage fees imposed by ocean carriers on through bills of lading, saying little progress has been made in recent months, despite urging from the National Shipping Advisory Committee.

The European Commission on June 4 set up a new surveillance tool to shield the EU against "sudden and potentially disruptive surges in imports." The tool provides the commission with "fact-based information building on customs data," enabling it to take action against import surges that occur when a "significant amount of goods that cannot enter other markets due to high tariffs and other restrictions are redirected into the EU."