President Joe Biden signed an executive order this week authorizing new sanctions and trade restrictions against Nicaragua. The U.S. also announced new Nicaragua-related designations and issued a general license.
The U.K. added three Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity to its Russia sanctions regime pertaining to their involvement in sending unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Russian military for use in Ukraine, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said Oct. 20. The individuals, Saeed Aghajani, head of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force UAV command; Mohammad Bagheri, chairman of the Armed Forces General Staff; and Seyed Hojjatollah Qureishi, head of the Iranian Defense Ministry's Supply and Logistics Division, are subject to an asset freeze and travel ban. OFSI also sanctioned Shahed Aviation Industries, an Iranian UAV manufacturer. The OFSI notice amended the entry for Oleksandr Saulenko, a senior official installed in the Russian administration of Berdyansk in the temporarily controlled area of Zaporizhzhia, regarding date of birth. The U.K.'s move follows the EU's listing of the same individuals and entity (see 2210200014).
Canada last week sanctioned six people and four entities for their involvement in human rights violations in Iran. Among the designations are the Guardian Council, an entity that blocks meaningful participation in Iran’s elections; the Assembly of Experts, an entity that has neglected to uphold certain “constitutional provisions”; and the Expediency Discernment Council, an entity that “upholds laws that systematically violate the human rights of Iranians.” Others sanctioned include Deputy Interior Minister Seyyed Majid Mirahmadi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official Mohammad Karami and Ezzatollah Zarghami, former leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Corporation.
The State Department last week released a fact sheet on the impact of global sanctions and export controls on Russia, outlining the “significant and long-lasting consequences” on Russia’s defense industrial base. The fact sheet describes Russia’s struggle to import semiconductors, aircraft parts and weapons and outlines various U.S. restrictions implemented since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
The U.S. is considering additional sanctions on both Russia and Iran following Iranian sales and operation of drones in Ukraine, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, speaking during an Oct. 20 call with reporters. He confirmed that Iranian "military personnel" were on the ground in Crimea assisting Russia in the use of purchased combat drones, adding that Russia has "dozens" of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and is "likely [to] continue to receive additional shipments in the future."
The Biden administration is discussing new export controls to further limit China’s ability to acquire powerful emerging computing technologies, Bloomberg reported Oct. 20. The discussions, which are at an “early stage,” could lead to new controls on quantum computing technologies and artificial intelligence software, the report said, and industry experts are providing input on “how to set the parameters of the restrictions.” The White House and Commerce Department didn’t comment.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is hoping the recent changes to its administrative enforcement policies help clear a “backlog” of minor cases that had been taking up too much of the agency’s time and resources, said Matthew Axelrod, BIS’s top enforcement official. Axelrod, speaking during an event last week hosted by the Massachusetts Export Center, also said the agency is making progress on establishing a multilateral export enforcement mechanism and urged exporters to make sure they are continuously screening suppliers and customers.
The EU added three Iranian individuals and one Iranian entity to its sanctions regime pertaining to those threatening the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine, the European Council announced Oct. 20. The individuals and entities helped supply unmanned aerial vehicles used by Russia in its war against Ukraine. The parties were subjected to an asset freeze and travel ban.
Sanctioned Myanmar businessman Tay Za has for years set up shop in Singapore, where he's found shelter from U.S. sanctions, but those days may be coming to an end, Bloomberg reported. Tay Za was accused of supplying arms and equipment to the Myanmar military. Despite this, he upheld the right to live and work in Singapore despite the sanctions first imposed in 2007 and incorporated around 10 companies in Singapore operating in palm oil, teak and aviation. Most countries in Asia do not support these sanctions, though this position is becoming harder to uphold while the U.S. increases pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta and global financial regulators discuss the prospect of blacklisting the country, Bloomberg said. Signs are starting to appear that show Singapore is moving away from its practice of not interfering with its neighbors' business, criticizing the junta's regime, asking banks to increase their scrutiny of financial flows to Myanmar, and not allowing the transfer of any items that could be used to inflict violence against unarmed civilians, though Tay Za and others continue to operate in Singapore, Bloomberg said. Tay Za continues to deny he supplies arms to the military.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology held emergency meetings this week with the country’s leading semiconductor firms to assess the impact of new U.S. chip restrictions, Bloomberg reported Oct. 19. Chinese officials stressed to executives from Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., supercomputer company Dawning Information Industry and others that the domestic market would provide enough demand to make up for any lost sales caused by the U.S. export restrictions, the report said. But the government officials also “appeared uncertain about the way forward and at times appeared to have as many questions as answers for the chipmakers.” During the meeting, YMTC warned the government that “its future may be in jeopardy,” the report said.