The U.S. designated Ousmane Illiassou Djibo, also known as Petit Chapori, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the State Department said June 28. Djibo is a native Nigerian and leader of the Islamic State Group operating in the Sahara region.
The United Arab Emirates recently introduced “significant” changes to how it administers sanctions, expanding its largely multilateral sanctions regime to also include unilateral measures, Akin Gump said June 28. The regime places new obligations on people and businesses in the UAE, including requirements to screen customers, freeze their assets and cut off transactions if customers violate UAE sanctions.
The multilateral Nuclear Suppliers Group met last week for the first time in more than a year to discuss export controls over nuclear weapons, the Iran nuclear deal, nonproliferation trade restrictions and more. The 48 member countries proposed updates to NSG export control lists and tapped a U.S. official to be a new group chair. Last year’s plenary was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
China has doubled down on efforts to illegally buy oil from Iran due to expectations that the Biden administration is close to easing sanctions on Iran (see 2106240044), the U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission said in a June 28 report. Since late 2020, China has “significantly” increased its purchases of Iranian oil “with falsified identification from countries” such as Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, according to the report, which cites data published by Refinitiv.
The European Union banned the sale, transfer or export of dual-use goods and technologies for military use to anyone in Belarus, expanding its sanctions regime on the Eastern European nation, the European Council announced in a June 24 news release. Since the forced landing of a Ryanair flight on May 23 and subsequent arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, the EU has sanctioned individuals, entities and economic activities in the country (see 2106210023). In this most recent push, the EU also barred the sale, transfer or export of technology intended for use in the “monitoring or interception of the internet and of telephone communications.” Trade in oil products, potassium chloride and goods used in tobacco production are also banned. The European Investment Bank is also instructed to halt any payments under public sector-related agreements with Belarus.
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has amended the entry for Andrei Mikalaevich Gurtsevich under the Belarus sanctions regime, it said in a June 25 financial sanctions notice. Gurtsevich remains subject to an asset freeze, according to the notice.
The Treasury Department is seeking comments on an information collection relating to the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations, the agency said in a notice. The regulations “pertain to the operation of various economic sanctions programs” administered by OFAC and are used to “monitor compliance” with regulatory requirements. Comments are due July 28.
The Bureau of Industry and Security fined a U.S. security equipment manufacturer $140,000 for illegally exporting stun guns, police batons, handcuffs and pepper spray to countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, BIS said in a June 23 order. The company, Florida-based Skyline USA, also violated Export Administration Regulations recordkeeping requirements for the exports, which were shipped to Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. The exports, sent during 2014 to 2016, were worth about $50,000.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will perform scheduled maintenance on its Defense Export Control and Compliance System 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT June 26, the agency said in a June 24 notice. Applications will be available during this time, but users “may experience disruptions,” DDTC said. The agency said users should access the system at a later time if “functionality” is affected.
The Drug Enforcement Administration placed para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), a drug similar to methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) that is also sold as “ecstasy,” into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, in a final rule released June 24. “This action imposes the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis, or possess), or propose to handle PMMA,” DEA said. The final rule takes effect July 26.