New Zealand recently revised its catch-all export controls and issued guidance on the changes. The revisions, which took effect Oct. 9, include changes to restrictions on goods and technologies that are not controlled under New Zealand's export control regime but may have military or police uses, such as biological and chemical weapons or goods that may have “military applications.”
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Oct. 13-16 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Berkshire Hathaway will pay $4.1 million after its subsidiary illegally exported more than 140 shipments of cutting tools to Iran, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said in an Oct. 20 notice. Iscar Kesici Takim Ticareti ve Imalati Limited Sirket (Iscar Turkey), Berkshire’s Turkish subsidiary, hid the exports from its parent company, which resulted in more than $350,000 worth of orders going to Iranian end-users. Along with the fine, Berkshire committed to a range of sanctions compliance procedures in a settlement agreement with OFAC and will annually certify for the next five years that it is meeting its compliance obligations.
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.