The Council of the European Union adopted a framework for sanctions against Turkey for its illegal drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, the council said in a Nov. 11 press release. The sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes for people and entities responsible for the drilling in the territorial sea near Cyprus or who provide “technical or material” support for the drilling activities. The sanctions may also apply to “persons or entities associated” with the sanctioned people or entities. The EU Council recommended sanctions against Turkey in October after Cyprus released a statement condemning Turkey’s drilling (see 1910150024).
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Nov. 4-8 in case they were missed.
The Bureau of Industry and Security updated its Entity List by adding 22 entities, updating one entry and removing three entries, BIS said. The added entities include freight forwarding and logistics companies and a medical instrument supplier.
Two congresswomen are asking for more signatures for a letter that applauds the Commerce Department’s decision to place eight Chinese technology companies on the Entity List and urges the administration not to make concessions on the list in trade negotiations.The letter, written by Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., and Ann Wagner, R-Mo., to be sent to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also urges the State Department to impose sanctions on China for its oppression of the Uighur population.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control amended a Nicaragua-related designation on its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a Nov. 8 notice. The changes include updated identifying information for Roberto Jose Lopez Gomez, who was sanctioned by OFAC on Nov. 7 for corruption along with two other Nicaraguan officials (see 1911070035).
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program is working well, a senior State Department official told reporters Nov. 7. The program was most recently used by the agency to offer up to $15 million for information that may further disrupt the U.S.-sanctioned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (see 1909040055). The State Department announced the reward in hopes that it will lead to more sanctions as it continues its maximum-pressure campaign against Iran.
The Trump administration completed its review of its final rule to move export controls of firearms from the State Department to the Commerce Department, clearing the way for the regulatory changes to potentially be completed this year.
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation removed sanctions from two Iraqi entities, according to a Nov. 7 notice. The decision to remove sanctions from the two entities -- Iraq’s State Organization for Irrigation Projects and its State Organization for Land Reclamation -- reflects recent decisions by the United Nations Security Council, OFSI said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three Nicaraguan government officials involved in human rights abuses, election fraud and corruption Treasury said Nov. 7. Ramon Antonio Avellan Medal, deputy director general of the Nicaraguan National Police, was designated for carrying out the government's “repressive measures,” including arbitrary arrests and executions, the agency said. Lumberto Ignacio Campbell Hooker, acting president of the Nicaraguan Supreme Electoral Council, was sanctioned for running an entity that ensures President Daniel Ortega wins elections. Roberto Jose Lopez Gomez, director of the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute, was designated for corruption.
US to 'Aggressively' Enforce US Sanctions Against Shipping Companies, State Department Official Says
The U.S. plans to target and “aggressively” enforce measures against shipping companies across the globe that violate U.S. sanctions, a top State Department official said, according to a Nov. 6 Reuters report. David Peyman, deputy assistant secretary of state for counter threat finance and sanctions, told reporters in London that ships are being used as a “key artery to evade sanctions,” according to Reuters. “If behavior doesn’t change, notwithstanding our very frank conversations and clear messages, then we do look toward fully and aggressively and consistently enforcing U.S. sanctions across the board as a means to change behavior of bad actors,” he said.