The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls recently posted two new frequently-asked-questions under its licensing and registration guidance pages.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls posted the slide presentations from the April 28 Defense Trade Advisory Group plenary meeting (see 2204290032). The slides include presentations from several DTAG working groups, including a recommendation for a new International Traffic in Arms Regulation exemption, recommendations for clarifications and corrections to certain ITAR definitions, and a report on ITAR-related challenges for controlled unclassified information.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, criticized the Bureau of Industry and Security's decision to stop differentiating between emerging and foundational technologies for the purposes of export controls, saying the agency is trying to dodge its statutory responsibility. BIS said last week that the effort to categorize technologies as either emerging or foundational has sometimes delayed the controls, adding that it will instead refer to them as Section 1758 technologies (see 2205200017).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is designating the international oil smuggling and money laundering network led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force officials, according to a May 25 news release. The network has overseen the sale of "hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil" for both the IRGC-QF and for Hezbollah, the Treasury Department said. IRGC-QF official Behnam Shahriyari and former IRGC-QF official Rostam Ghasemi head the network, backed by "senior levels of the Russian Federation government and state-run economic organs," Treasury said. The network has acted as a "critical element of Iran’s oil revenue generation," and support for proxy militant groups in the region.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on May 25 extended a Russia-related General License that authorizes the payment of certain taxes and import fees to Russia despite the sanctions imposed on the Russian central bank, national wealth fund and Ministry of Finance. General License 13A, which replaces General License No. 13 (see 2203030001), extends the authorization through 12:01 a.m. EDT on Sept. 30, 2022, and also authorizes certain activities involving permits, licenses, registrations or certifications. The license was scheduled to expire June 24.
President Joe Biden will maintain Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ designation as a foreign terrorist organization, removing the designation as a negotiating chip in a renewed nuclear deal with Iran, Politico reported May 24. The designation, which subjects the group to certain sanctions, was made as part of the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign against Iran. Naftali Bennett, Israel’s prime minister, applauded the decision in a May 24 tweet. “I welcome the decision by the US Administration to keep Iran’s IRGC on the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list -- which is where it belongs.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security completed an interagency review for a final rule that would introduce a congressional notification requirement for certain weapons exports. The rule, sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs May 17 (see 2205180006) and completed May 24, would require notifications for certain semiautomatic firearms exports under the Export Administration Regulations.
The European Commission this week announced two new proposals to harmonize how member states penalize sanctions violations and to modernize the EU’s recovery rules for sanctioned assets. The measures will help the EU better target and punish sanctions evaders, said Vera Jourova, the commission’s vice president for values and transparency. “The violation of EU sanctions is a serious crime and must come with serious consequences,” Jourova said. “We need EU-wide rules to establish that.”
Bureau of Industry and Security Undersecretary Alan Estevez said his top long-term priority is building a new multilateral export control regime, and he urged industry to continue considering diversifying away from China and Russia. He also said BIS is working hard to control emerging and foundational technologies and welcomes more input from industry, academia and think tanks.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week finalized its new controls on cybersecurity items, making several changes to the rule’s language and addressing some questions from the public comment period. The changes include revisions to the definition of “government end user” and other actions to “clarify the scope of controls,” BIS said in a final rule effective May 26.