The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week issued another reminder for users of its website to fill out a survey (see 2410110053) that will give OFAC feedback on how it can streamline the site’s navigation and improve its “sanctions guidance, resource accessibility, and user experience.” The survey closes Dec. 30.
The State Department is finalizing an April proposed rule that will raise fees for registration with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the agency’s first fee increase in 15 years (see 2404230033).
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., urged the Bureau of Industry and Security Dec. 4 to close several “loopholes” in its new export controls on advanced computing chips and chipmaking equipment (see 2412020016).
The incoming Trump administration could look to continue expanding the scope of U.S. foreign direct product rule restrictions, which could lead to enforcement challenges or push foreign companies to design U.S. components out of their supply chains, think tank scholars said last week.
Pete Jeydel, a former lawyer with Steptoe, has joined Troutman Pepper as a partner to lead the sanctions and trade controls practice, the firm announced. Jeydel's practice centers on export controls and sanctions and "related areas" such as the new outbound investment security program, the firm said.
The U.K. on Dec. 5 officially updated guidance for its various sanctions regimes to reflect the passage of legislation earlier this year that gives its sanctions agency greater intelligence-gathering and enforcement powers (see 2411260013). An update to the U.K.’s Russia-related sanctions guidance said the U.K. made a “range of technical changes with the purpose of improving” the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s “ability to gather intelligence on industry’s compliance with financial sanctions, strengthen OFSI’s enforcement powers, enable OFSI to conduct its licensing responsibilities more efficiently, and clarify financial sanctions legislation where there is existing uncertainty.” The country made similar updates to its guidance for sanctions against Belarus, North Korea, Syria, Iran, Venezuela and Myanmar.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced a bill this week to delay implementation of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s new beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rule by at least a year.
The Census Bureau added two new license codes and revised an existing license code in the Automated Export System this week to reflect the Bureau of Industry and Security's latest export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) (see 2412020016).
The U.N. Security Council and the U.K. this week revised three entries on their ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions lists to add identifying information or to reflect their death. The changes update the entry for Salim Mustafa Muhammad al-Mansur, who has ties to terrorism and who the U.N. said has been held by the Iraqi intelligence service since 2019 and has been sentenced to death; and Maysar Ali Musa Abdallah al-Juburi, who the U.N. said reportedly died in Syria in April. The council also updated the name for Muthanna Harith Salman al-Dari, who was accused of providing support to the Islamic State group.
Beijing announced new sanctions this week against 13 U.S. companies and six senior executives working in the defense industry for their involvement with arms sales to Taiwan, according to an unofficial translation of a Dec. 5 notice from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The designations target several drone companies, including Brinc Drones and Kratos UAV Systems, and defense industry officials, including two Raytheon executives. The ministry said the sanctions freeze their Chinese assets and block them from doing certain business with Chinese companies.