The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation revised 11 entries under its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions. The revisions include changes to identifying information for the entries, which remain subject to an asset freeze, OFSI said Sept. 18.
The Bureau of Industry and Security added 47 entities and individuals to its Entity List for “acting contrary” to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The additions include entities in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Designations were for a range of illegal procurement activities, including sending nuclear-related items and other products to Iran. BIS will also correct four existing entries under China.
Registration and licensing applications for the State Department’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System will be unavailable 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. EDT Sept. 22, a Sept. 18 notice said. The system will be down for scheduled maintenance, the State Department said, and users should save work in progress before the downtime begins.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency extended the comment period on an information collection related to letters of attestation for exports of controlled medical exports, FEMA said in a notice released Sept. 17. The agency previously requested comments on the information collection, but said it received none (see 2007160025). FEMA plans to submit the information collection to the Office of Management and Budget for review and clearance. Comments are due Oct. 21.
The Bureau of Industry and Security plans to add 47 entities to its Entity List for “acting contrary” to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The additions include entities in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. BIS designated the entities for a range of illegal procurement and nuclear-related activities, including sending nuclear-related items and other products to Iran. BIS will also correct four existing entries under China.
A lack of understanding of export controls in university settings is delaying or sometimes preventing research, the Association of University Export Control Officers said in a Sept. 17 letter to the Department of Defense. The group said the confusion is particularly a problem surrounding export restrictions on fundamental research: research that is widely published and shared within the scientific community.
Singapore will update its Strategic Goods Control List to bring it up to date with the latest export control changes made at the 2019 Wassenaar Arrangement and by the 2019 European Union List of Dual-Use Items, the country said in a Sept. 15 notice. The changes, to take effect Nov. 16, include new controls on dual-use items and “editorial changes for consistency.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined a New York telecommunications company and its subsidiary nearly $900,000 for exporting goods and providing services to a sanctioned government entity in Sudan. The company, Comtech Telecommunications Corp., exported warrantied satellite equipment and provided services and training to the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), OFAC said in a Sept. 17 notice. Along with the fine, Comtech said in a settlement agreement it will bolster its sanctions compliance program, including more frequent risk assessments, stricter internal controls and improved employee compliance training.
The U.S. sanctioned more than 45 Iranian people and companies for cyberattacks, and designated two Lebanese companies and a Lebanese official for involvement with Hezbollah. The Iranian sanctions target Advanced Persistent Threat 39 and Rana Intelligence Computing Co. as Ministry of Intelligence and Security-owned or -controlled, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Sept. 17. Rana was involved in a “years-long malware campaign” that targeted Iranian dissidents, journalists and international companies, OFAC said. The Lebanese designations target Lebanon-based Arch Consulting and Meamar Construction, and Sultan Khalifah As’ad, a Hezbollah Executive Council official “closely associated” with both companies, OFAC said.
Industry should expect the Bureau of Industry and Security's increased activity around export controls to continue, including more additions to the Entity List and the “refinement” of export controls for Hong Kong, said Tim Mooney, a BIS senior export policy analyst.