Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., on Oct. 31 introduced a companion to a Senate bill aimed at ensuring that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations (see 2510310048). Cline’s measure was referred to the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees.
John Hurley, the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, traveled last week to Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Lebanon to speak with those nations about implementing and enforcing the U.N.'s snapback sanctions against Iran (see 2509290051), Treasury said. The agency said Hurley planned to discuss the U.S. maximum-pressure campaign against Iran, as well as how the countries can prevent sanctions evasion and work together better on those measures.
The U.K. fined a British exporter about 1.16 million pounds (about $1.52 million) for making goods available to Russia, the country’s revenue and customs agency announced Nov. 3. The penalty is the largest settlement the U.K. has ever reached with a business for violating Russia sanctions.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued new FAQ 172 on Oct. 31 to address whether licenses are required for certain dealings related to Russia's sanctioned National Settlement Depository (NSD). The FAQ specifically addresses a situation in which funds are allocated to the U.K. entity by an "International Central Securities Depository," but Russia's NSD has seized International Central Securities Depository funds held at the NSD. The U.K. said an OFSI license wouldn't be required by a U.K. financial institution to deal with or receive those funds as long as:
New Mexico resident Canyon Anthony Amarys, a U.S. national guardsman, was arrested last week after DOJ said he tried to provide an export-controlled radio to someone he believed was a Russian intelligence official. He was charged with attempting to violate the Export Control Reform Act.
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged Bryce McFerran to resign from his position as acting chief banking officer at the U.S. Export-Import Bank because of his ties to Russian metals and mining company Evraz, which the U.K. sanctioned in 2022 for conducting railway work that supports Russia’s military.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, introduced a bill Oct. 30 that seeks to ensure that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations. The Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act, which also would apply to federal agencies that handle domestic sales, was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Three Republican senators introduced a bill Oct. 30 that would allow the president to sanction Chinese entities that manufacture, distribute or finance the production of nitazene precursor chemicals.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., urged the Commerce Department on Oct. 30 to support Malaysia’s new efforts to prevent the country from being used to smuggle export-controlled U.S. chips to China.
The U.S. decision to suspend the Bureau of Industry and Security's 50% rule was met with both relief and exasperation by U.S. exporters, some of whom welcomed more time to prepare while also expressing frustration with the time and resources they already spent trying to comply, including buying expensive screening software.