China said it may trade arms with Iran due now that the United Nations arms embargo has expired. It also criticized the U.S. for saying it will sanction countries that trade with Iran. “This is an important moment in the implementation process of the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action],” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Oct. 19. “China will continue handling arms trade in a prudent manner.”
The U.S. extended by one year, until Oct. 21, 2021, a national emergency authorizing sanctions against narcotic traffickers “centered” in Colombia, the White House said Oct. 19. The White House said the traffickers “continue to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy” of the U.S.
The United Kingdom Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation designated seven people under its Syrian sanctions regime, it said Oct. 16. The move follows the European Union's designation of the same seven Syrian government officials (see 2010160020).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control updated 490 entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List to reflect April changes made to the North Korea Sanctions Regulations (see 2004090026), OFAC said in an Oct. 19 notice. OFAC updated the entries to show they may be subject to a prohibition on “persons that are owned or controlled by a U.S. financial institution and established or maintained outside” the U.S.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct. 19 sanctioned three people and seven entities for counter-terrorism and Iran-related reasons. The first set of designations target Australia-based al-Qaida-associated facilitator Ahmed Luqman Talib and his company, Talib and Sons, for supporting al-Qaida.
China enacted a new export control law to restrict sales of national security-related goods, mirroring steps taken by the U.S. to strengthen restrictions on sensitive exports to China. The law, which was passed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Oct. 17 and takes effect Dec. 1, creates an export control regime with control lists, compliance requirements for industry and a list of prohibited importers and end-users, somewhat similar to the U.S.’s Entity List.
The United Kingdom issued Oct. 16 guidance on exporting dual-use goods to the European Union after Brexit and reminded exporters to register for an open general export license. U.K. exporters should check whether their items are on the dual-use control list, which includes goods relating to nuclear materials, electronics, telecommunications, navigation equipment, marine equipment, software and technology. An exporter whose goods are captured by that list needs to register for an OGEL, which will “enable multiple shipments of these controlled items to any EU member state,” the U.K. said. The license does not expire, but exporters may be “audited on its use” by U.K. compliance officers. Dual-use items that do not have the license may be stopped at customs, the U.K. said.
The CEO of a sanctions-evading financial services company in Iran was sentenced to 23 months in prison for violating U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department said Oct. 15. Seyed Sajjad Shahidian, CEO of Payment24, helped Iranians conduct illegal transactions with businesses in the U.S., which included illegal exports of computer software, software licenses and computer servers. Shahidian was charged in May along with Payment24 Chief Operating Officer Vahid Vali for violating U.S. sanctions (see 2005190022). Shahidian pleaded guilty in June (see 2006170005).
The United Kingdom Office of Financial Sanction Implementation added one person to its Libya sanctions regime, an Oct. 15 notice said. The designation targets Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, a Russian businessman with close links to the Wagner Group, for violating the United Nations arms embargo against Libya. The European Union sanctioned Prigozhin last week (see 2010150010).
The European Union sanctioned seven Syrian government officials for the “violent repression” of the Syrian population, the European Council said in an Oct. 16 news release. The designations target Syria’s Trade Minister Talal Al-Barazi, Culture Minister Loubana Mouchaweh, Education Minister Darem Taba’a, Justice Minister Ahmad Sayyed, Water Resource Minister Tammam Ra’ad, Finance Minister Kinan Yaghi and Transport Minister Zuhair Khazim. The EU’s Syria sanctions include a ban on oil trade, investment restrictions, asset freezes and export restrictions on certain equipment and technology to Syria.