Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., introduced a bill that would prohibit U.S. funding for the Taliban government and require sanctions on foreigners who knowingly provide assistance to Afghanistan's government. Franklin said Sept. 23 that his bill is a companion to the bill introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., (see 2109210010). He has five Republican co-sponsors. Franklin said the bill also would repeal the exception in Iran sanctions for sectors necessary for Afghan reconstruction. "While we feel this should be an issue on which all sides can agree, sadly our Democrat colleagues have not chosen to join this effort,” Franklin said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security completed its review of a final rule that would control exports of certain types of deuterium under the Export Administration Regulations. The rule, received by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs June 16 (see 2106240004) and completed Sept. 23, would control deuterium exports “intended for use other than in a nuclear reactor,” BIS said. The agency said the rule will transfer the responsibility for controlling those exports from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to BIS.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued two general licenses aimed at allowing humanitarian assistance and aid to more easily flow to Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover of the country’s government. The agency, which also published new guidance for using the licenses, said Sept. 24 it’s “committed to ensuring that U.S. sanctions do not limit the ability” of the Afghan people to receive aid from the U.S. government and the international community.
Although the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. allowed Magnachip Semiconductor Corp. to refile its proposed acquisition by Beijing-based Wise Road Capital (see 2109160037), the deal seems highly unlikely to pass CFIUS scrutiny, trade lawyers said. Finding pathways to mitigate the national security risks identified by CFIUS will be extremely challenging, they said, particularly as the U.S. increases its focus on stopping China from acquiring advanced semiconductor equipment.
Russia renewed its import ban on agricultural products, raw materials and food including beef, pork, fruit, vegetables, fish and dairy products from the U.S., the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Norway, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Lichtenstein until Dec. 31, 2022. The ban was initially put in place Aug. 6, 2014, in retaliation for Western sanctions on Russia, according to a Sept. 23 post on the EU Sanctions blog.
The European Union General Court dismissed Maher Al-Imam's application to drop his sanctions listing from the EU's Syria sanctions regime, in a Sept. 22 ruling, according to an unofficial translation. Al-Imam challenged the European Council's assessment of the facts that the applicant was an influential businessman in Syria with connections to the Syrian regime. The court ruled that the council properly made this finding and that Al-Imam is an influential businessman in Syria. The court also held that the applicant's right to an effective judicial remedy was not violated and that the restrictions on the applicant's rights are justified given the human rights situation in Syria.
The State Department issued a correction to its Sept. 7 Federal Register document that implemented additional sanctions against Russia for the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny (see 2108230065). The correction fixes a citation to the U.S. Munitions Import List.
Although President Joe Biden’s new executive order authorizing sanctions against Ethiopia (see 2109170036) allows for a potentially broad scope of designations, it also signals that the administration will take a slow, cautious approach to its new authorities, law firms said. Companies shouldn’t expect immediate U.S. action against Ethiopia, the firms said, as the administration seems primarily concerned about deterring bad behavior and assuring humanitarian access can still flow to the region.
President Joe Biden will nominate a U.S. intelligence official to a key sanctions position at the Treasury Department, the White House said Sept. 21. Biden will nominate Shannon Corless, who serves as an intelligence and economic security official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to be assistant secretary in the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, which oversees the Office of Foreign Assets Control. In her role at the DNI, Corless leads interagency and “foreign partnership activities” related to export controls, investment security, sanctions, supply chains and other trade issues, the White House said. Corless previously served as the director of the DNI’s Investment Security Group, where she worked on investment reviews conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.
The United Nations Security Council on Sept. 21 removed an Iraq-related entry from its sanctions list. The UNSC no longer sanctions the Baghdad Stock Exchange, which was first designated in 2004. The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation also announced that it delisted the entity.