A Microsoft subsidiary said it received a U.S. sanctions license to provide its services to software developers in Iran. GitHub, which provides hosting for software development, said it was able to convince the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls that use of GitHub “advances human progress,” international communication and improves free speech, the company said Jan. 5. GitHub called the two-year process with OFAC “lengthy and intensive” and said it is “in the process” of rolling back “all restrictions on developers in Iran, and reinstating full access to affected accounts.” The company said it is also working to secure similar licenses for developers in Crimea and Syria. OFAC didn’t comment.
The European Union will consider more sanctions against Venezuela if Nicolas Maduro's regime does not soon begin a “transition process” to cede power, the European Council said in a Jan. 6 news release. The council called Venezuela’s December elections undemocratic and said the country “urgently” needs a political solution. “The lack of political pluralism and the way the elections were planned and executed, including the disqualification of opposition leaders, do not allow the EU to recognise this electoral process as credible, inclusive or transparent,” the council said. “The EU stands ready to support such a process. It also stands ready to take additional targeted measures.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 6 issued two new frequently asked questions related to President Donald Trump’s November executive order to ban U.S. investment in Chinese military companies (see 2011130026). In FAQ 863, OFAC said U.S. people can “custody, offer for sale, serve as a transfer agent and trade” in securities covered by the order “to the extent that such support services are not provided to U.S. persons in connection” with certain “prohibited transactions.” Those transactions include “clearing, execution, settlement, custody, transfer agency, back-end services, as well as other such support services,” OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control Jan. 5 issued two new frequently asked questions and amended two other FAQs to clarify sanctions against Russia under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The FAQs cover OFAC’s non-blocking menu-based sanctions, certain definitions and other sanctions clarifications.
The Bureau of Industry and Security amended the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations and Export Administration Regulations to control new chemicals used in chemical weapons. The final rule, effective Jan. 7, aligns U.S. export controls with recent changes made by the multilateral Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Bureau of Industry and Security clarified and expanded the scope of export controls for certain vaccines and medical products (see 2012090006), the agency said in a final rule effective Jan. 7. The changes align U.S. export controls with decisions agreed to at the Australia Group’s 2019 plenary group. The updated controls also have implications for vaccines related to COVID-19, BIS said.
Akin Gump promoted two trade lawyers to partners, it said Jan. 4. Jaelyn Edwards Judelson advises clients on sanctions and export controls, and Yujin Kim McNamara advises clients on international trade issues, including dispute settlements and trade remedies.
The United Nations Security Council urged member states to more “actively” work with its sanctions committee to counter individuals and groups related to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and al-Qaida, and to submit more listing and designation requests, a Dec. 29 UNSC news release said. The council said more designation requests will help keep the U.N. sanctions list “reliable and up to date.” It advocated for an “analytical support and sanctions monitoring team” to study sanctions exemption procedures set out in a 2017 resolution, and to report to the committee within three months its analysis, including whether the exemptions should be updated.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a Jan. 4 guidance on the U.K.’s financial sanctions against Libya, detailing the types of asset freezes the U.K. can enforce. The guidance also covers how the U.K. prohibits transactions involving Libyan oil aboard ships designated by the United Nations, how the sanctions affect subsidiaries of sanctioned entities and how the U.K. determines ownership.
The U.S. sanctioned one person and 16 entities for their involvement in Iran’s metal sector, the Treasury Department said Jan. 5. The sanctions target Kaifeng Pingmei New Carbon Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (KFCC), a Chinese graphite electrode supplier; 12 Iranian steel producers, including the Middle East Mines and Mineral Industries Development Holding Co.; and three foreign sales agents of an Iranian metals company. The State Department also sanctioned KFCC, Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines subsidiary Hafez Darya Arya Shipping Co. and Majid Sajdeh, a principal executive officer of Hafez Darya.