The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments on an information collection related to submitting declarations to the International Atomic Energy Agency for nuclear materials, according to a notice released Aug. 14. The IAEA requires information on “nuclear-related items” that may be used for “peaceful nuclear purposes” but also can be part of a nuclear weapons program, the notice said. The declarations provide the IAEA with information about “additional aspects of the U.S. commercial nuclear fuel cycle,” including nuclear equipment manufacturing and trade in nuclear-related goods. Comments are due Oct. 16.

The U.S. seized its largest-ever shipment of Iranian fuel aboard four tankers illegally shipping oil to Venezuela, according to an Aug. 14 Justice Department press release. The agency said the U.S. seized about 1.116 million barrels of petroleum, part of a multimillion-dollar fuel shipment from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The U.S. filed the forfeiture warrant July 2 (see 2007060012).

European countries need to increase sanctions against Venezuela to force a regime change and limit Nicolas Maduro’s ability to evade U.S. restrictions, said Carrie Filipetti, the State Department’s assistant secretary for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Filipetti also said more U.S.-European cooperation can help limit the Maduro regime’s access to gold supply chains, which it uses for funding.

Export control experts advocated for more effective U.S. controls, saying the U.S. should pursue more multilateral support and may need to rethink its strategy toward China. In a series of short essays published Aug. 13 by the Center for a New American Security, experts and former policymakers dive into how the controls can be more effective, what they should target, and how the controls are viewed by U.S. allies and adversaries.

The Bureau of Industry and Security added 38 Huawei affiliates to the Entity List and refined a May amendment to its foreign direct product rule, further restricting Huawei’s access to U.S. technology. BIS said the direct product rule will now also apply to transactions where U.S. software or technology is “the basis” for a foreign-made item produced or purchased by Huawei, or when a Huawei entity is “a party to such a transaction.” Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said Huawei "has continuously tried to evade" the previous changes to the foreign direct product rule.

India revised its import policies and conditions for various chemicals, its Directorate General of Foreign Trade said Aug. 11. The revision removes certain import restrictions from 18 types of chemicals and items, and requires importers to submit a copy of the bill of entry for the item within 30 days, among other conditions.

India revised its export restrictions for certain types of rice shipments to European countries, its Director General of Foreign Trade said Aug. 10. India will require exporters to obtain a “Certificate of Inspection” for shipments of basmati rice and “non-basmati rice” to Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, India will require the export certificates for rice shipments to the “remaining European countries.”

China will continue to impose antidumping duties on imports of “single-mode optical fibers” from India, an Aug. 13 Ministry of Commerce notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The duties will continue for five years from Aug. 14.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service on Aug. 5 updated its guidance on China’s retaliatory tariffs and tariff exclusion process for U.S. products. It outlines procedures for applying for exclusions and provides U.S. exporters “a clear picture of the current status of China’s retaliatory tariffs.”

The U.S. and Slovenia issued a joint statement Aug. 13 on strengthening 5G security and increasing reviews of foreign direct investments involving critical technologies. The countries will “encourage ... reliable and trustworthy” 5G software and hardware suppliers and favor a “rigorous evaluation of suppliers and supply chains.” Both countries also committed to scrutinize foreign direct investments in “critical communication infrastructure … through a dedicated screening mechanism.” The U.S., which recently expanded the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. jurisdiction to review transactions involving critical technologies (see 2005110008), has said it wants to encourage other countries to more heavily scrutinize Chinese investment (see 2002260042).