The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a Feb. 20 correction relating to a previous sanctions notice. The OFSI said it provided “inaccurate identifying information” in a Feb. 19 notice about Abdul Haq, who is listed on the ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions List. OFSI clarified that Haq is still subject to an asset freeze and corrected the error in an update to the list.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated five members of Iran’s Guardian Council and its Elections Supervision Committee for interfering with free and fair elections, Treasury said in a Feb. 20 notice. The members are Ahmad Jannati, the secretary of the Guardian Council; Mohammad Yazdi, a member of Iran’s Guardian Council who was formerly Iran’s first judiciary chief; and three members of the Elections Supervisory Committee: Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, Siamak Rahpeyk and Mohammad Hasan Sadeghi Moghadam.
Japan’s trade minister said Japan has a “growing concern” that exports of advanced technologies are increasingly being used for military purposes, and called on Asian countries to tighten their controls of proliferation-related exports, according to an unofficial translation of a Feb. 19 notice from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The remarks came during Tokyo’s Asia Export Control Seminar earlier this month, which included more than 30 countries and hundreds of government and industry representatives. In opening remarks at the seminar, Japan’s minister called on Asian countries to “properly manage microtechnology” and “increase the effectiveness of export controls in order to respond to internationally responsible microtechnology procurement activities.”
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control updated a Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act entry on its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a Feb. 19 notice. The update adds an address and identifying information for Inversiones Continental, a Panamanian holding company sanctioned in 2015 for money laundering and drug trafficking.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released a report Feb. 19 on licensing activities for certain exports to Iran and Sudan during the second quarter of fiscal year 2019. The report provides licensing statistics for exports of agricultural goods, medicine and medical devices to both countries as required by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls officially launched the registration and licensing applications for its Defense Export Control and Compliance System (see 2002040060) on Feb. 18. Users can register at the DECCS industry portal enrollment page, which also includes an enrollment guide.
United Kingdom companies are facing challenges navigating sanctions conflicts between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, which is leading to confusion over which items they can legally export, according to Roger Arthey, chair of the Institute of Export & International Trade’s Export Control Profession and the former head of export control compliance for Rolls-Royce. Those challenges were complicated by the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018 and the introduction of the European Union Blocking Regulation, which blocks EU businesses from complying with certain U.S. sanctions (see 1906240014).
In the Feb. 13-18 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
Venezuela asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the U.S. for “crimes against humanity” due to sanctions against Venezuela, the ICC said in a Feb. 17 statement. The request was received by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who said the ICC will determine if the “situation referred warrants an investigation.” The U.S. is not a member of the ICC, so it is unclear if the ICC will begin an investigation because the court does not usually rule on inter-state disputes, according to a Feb. 17 report from Venezuelanalysis.com.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company and designated its president for supporting the Nicolas Maduro-led regime in Venezuela, Treasury said Feb. 18. OFAC also issued a new general license and two new frequently asked questions that address the “significance” of the designations and clarifies the wind-down period.