Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Feb. 2 urged Hungary and Slovakia to end their opposition to EU sanctions against Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and his “cronies” who “rigged” the country’s October parliamentary elections and are now "brutally cracking down" on pro-democracy protesters. Previously, on Jan. 29, Wilson and U.K. Parliament Member James MacCleary jointly asked U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy to sanction Ivanishvili. The State Department sanctioned him in late December (see 2412270011).
A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers reintroduced a bill Feb. 4 that would prohibit the sale of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to “foreign adversaries,” namely China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
A new national security memorandum signed this week by President Donald Trump orders U.S. agencies to pursue a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran to stop the country from developing nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism (see 2502040073). It calls on the U.S. to impose new sanctions against the country while stepping up enforcement and possibly revoke any general license or guidance document that gives “Iran or any of its terror proxies any degree of economic or financial relief.”
The Senate Commerce Committee voted, 16-12, Feb. 5 to advance President Donald Trump’s choice of Howard Lutnick to be commerce secretary, sending the nomination to the full Senate for its consideration. The vote came days after Lutnick promised to scrutinize U.S. export controls on advanced artificial intelligence chips, telling lawmakers in recently published comments that a review of the restrictions will be “a top priority” if he’s confirmed.
Canadian express courier Purolator has agreed to buy Livingston International, Purolator said in a Feb. 4 news release. The customs broker and freight forwarder “will now become a wholly owned subsidiary of Purolator led by its existing leadership team managing its day-to-day operations,” the release said. Purolator is itself majority owned by Canada Post, the primary postal operator in Canada. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Sahar Hafeez, a former senior adviser in the Bureau of Industry and Security undersecretary’s office (see 2107270016 and 2107280051), has rejoined Pillsbury Winthrop as an international trade and national security lawyer, the firm announced this week. Hafeez was most recently a senior adviser to the assistant secretary for industry and analysis at the Commerce Department before leaving government last month.
President Donald Trump has nominated Jeffrey Kessler to be the Bureau of Industry and Security undersecretary, according to the Feb. 3 edition of the Congressional Record. If confirmed, Kessler would replace Biden administration official Alan Estevez in overseeing BIS. The White House didn't respond to a request for more information on Kessler, who is a Washington trade lawyer who was assistant secretary of commerce for enforcement and compliance during Trump's first term. Kessler didn't respond to a request for comment.
South Africa has launched a safeguard investigation on corrosion-resistant steel coil, the South African government told the World Trade Organization's Committee on Safeguards. The investigation started Jan. 17 and covers "certain flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel" and "certain flat-rolled products of other alloy steel." South Africa said interested parties should make themselves known within 20 days of the start of the investigation.
Moments after President Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on all Chinese products took effect Feb. 4 (see 2502030034), China announced new tariffs and export controls against the U.S. and added two American companies to its so-called unreliable entity list, including one that it accused of adopting “discriminatory measures” when sourcing products from China's Xinjiang region.
The State Department approved two possible military sales to Egypt, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. One sale includes $304 million worth of "AN/TPS-78 Long Range Radar" and related elements of logistics and program support, and the principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman. Another includes $625 million worth of equipment and services for "fast missile craft," and the principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin and L3Harris.