Maria Alejandra (Jana) del-Cerro, former regulatory and multilateral affairs analyst at the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Control's Policy office, has rejoined Crowell & Moring, the firm announced. Del-Cerro will serve as a partner in the International Trade and Government Contracts group, advising clients on aspects of export compliance including export controls, sanctions and Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. matters. At the State Department, del-Cerro worked to amend and interpret the International Traffic in Arms Regulations in promoting bilateral defense trade working groups' priorities, the firm said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated an air transport service provider for its involvement in the shipment of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia, according to a Sept. 8 press release. Additionally, OFAC is designating three companies and one individual involved in the research, development, production and procurement of Iranian UAV components.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 8 extended a Russia-related general license that authorizes the payment of certain taxes and import fees to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation despite the sanctions imposed on those entities. General License 13B, which replaces GL 13A (see 2205250054), extends the authorization through 12:01 a.m. EST on Dec. 7, 2022. The 13A license was scheduled to expire Sept. 30.
The Bureau of Industry and Security announced an interim final rule that expands authorization for the release of controlled technology for the purposes of standards-setting activities to also include software and all entities on the agency’s Entity List. The authorization previously applied only to "technology" and some listed entities, namely Huawei and its affiliates. The interim rule addresses concerns about whether BIS licenses are required to release low-level technology for legitimate standards activities, BIS said in a Sept. 8 press release. The interim rule takes effect Sept. 9.
The U.K. amended one entry and corrected another under its Russian sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said in a Sept. 6 notice. The entry for Mikhail Razvozhaev, acting "Governor of Sevastopol," was updated to include his full name and alternate spelling of his last name: Mikhail Vladimirovich Razvozhayev. The entry for Pavel Ezoubov, an associate of listed Russian businessman and oligarch Oleg Deripaska, was corrected, with OFSI fixing the spelling of Ezoubov's name in Russian.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently revoked export privileges for two people after they illegally exported controlled items from the U.S.
Twenty-seven House Republicans, led by Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, asked CBP to defend its implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, in light of a recent report from the Uyghur Human Rights Project (see 2209060033). They asked if any red jujube dates from Xinjiang have entered the U.S. since June 21, and if so, how many shipments have done so.
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California-based Arteris, a multinational semiconductor company, said it received a warning letter from the Bureau of Industry and Security after it disclosed potential export control violations (see 2110130040). The company was given the warning earlier this year after BIS decided “not to refer this matter for criminal or administrative prosecution,” Arteris said in an August SEC filing.
The U.K. dropped one entry from its Iraq financial sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation said in a Sept. 2 notice. Iraqi national Sahir Berhan, who was designated in February 2004, was delisted.