The United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on Iraq removed sanctions from 13 Iraq entities on its list, according to a July 4 notice and June 28 press release. The move comes just four days after the same committee approved lifting sanctions on 17 separate Iraq entities (see 1906270014).
The United Kingdom made several technical changes to its Export Control Order of 2008, the U.K.’s Department for International Trade said in a June 30 press release. Among the changes, the U.K. is updating its list of defense-related products to correspond with changes made to the European Common Military List, the press release said.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Cubametales, Cuba’s state-run oil import-export company, for importing oil from Venezuela, Treasury said in a July 3 press release. In exchange for the oil, Treasury said, Cubametales provides Venezuela and the Nicolas Maduro regime with “defense, intelligence and security assistance.”
Instex, the European payment system designed to allow countries to trade with Iran despite U.S. sanctions, is mostly symbolic, several trade lawyers said. The system is a potentially useful tool to appease Iran’s demands for greater cooperation with Europe, lawyers said, but likely an insignificant mechanism in brokering major trade.
If the Iran nuclear deal collapses and Europe imposes a set of automatic snapback sanctions, the U.S. would likely follow with its own set of additional Iran sanctions, including greater enforcement on non-U.S. entities and sanctions on Iran’s trading partners, said Inessa Owens, a trade lawyer with Baker McKenzie.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added one person and one entity to its Specially Designated Nationals List, OFAC said in a July 2 notice. In Federal Register notices, the State Department said Lebanon-based Husain Ali Hazzima and the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army are each designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Both pose "a significant risk of committing" acts of "terrorism that threaten” the U.S. or its national or economic security, State said. OFAC also added several aliases for Jundallah, an Iran-based militant organization, which maintained its State Department designation as a foreign terrorist organization (see 1907010011).
As the Commerce Department prepares to issue export controls on emerging technologies, U.S. industries are urging the agency to limit controls on artificial intelligence and 3D printing, according to industry comments gathered by Jessica Blum Sanchez, the trade compliance manager at Accenture Federal Services.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 24-28 in case they were missed.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is implementing more restrictions surrounding licensing policies and procedures for exports of certain “controlled items” and technologies to South Korea, the ministry said in a July 1 press release. Japan said its relationship of trust with South Korea “in the field of export control and regulation” has been “significantly undermined.” Japan said it will “apply more stringent procedures over certain controlled items and their relevant technologies” to “ensure appropriate implementation of Japan’s own export control and regulation.” Some “sensitive items” have been exported to South Korea “with inadequate management by companies,” the press release said. The changes will take effect July 4, Japan said.
John Peterson and Brunella Zuppone were arrested June 26 and charged with "conspiracy to violate and attempted violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said in a June 28 news release. The pair are alleged to have tried to "illegally export to Argentina defense articles, specifically, parts and components for AR-15 assault rifles, which were smuggled across international borders by a transnational weapons trafficking group in Argentina," the Justice Department said. Neither had required licenses from the State Department for exporting such goods, it said.