The Bureau of Industry and Security this week suspended the export privileges of a Venezuela-based cargo airline for violating U.S. export controls. The agency said Empresa de Transporte Aereocargo del Sur, also known as Aerocargo del Sur Transportation or EMTRASUR, acquired “custody” of a U.S.-origin Boeing aircraft from Mahan Air -- a sanctioned Iranian airline (see 2205160035) -- and illegally flew that plane between Venezuela, Iran and Russia.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has drafted a prerule that could lead to new emerging technology export controls on “instruments for the automated chemical synthesis of peptides.” The proposed rule, which was mentioned in the agency’s spring regulatory agenda (see 2206270007), would seek public comments on the controls and help BIS determine whether the instruments could provide the U.S. or its adversaries a “qualitative military or intelligence advantage.” BIS sent the rule for interagency review Aug. 1.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security entered into a settlement agreement with a Nogales, Arizona, business owner after he tried to illegally export about $4,000 worth of items to Mexico, including ballistic helmets and rifle scopes. Under a settlement agreement, Luis Fernando Gracia must conduct an internal audit of his company’s export compliance procedures and complete compliance training or else face the suspension of his export privileges.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week updated its restricted aircraft list with 25 foreign-produced planes that have violated U.S. export controls. BIS said the commercial planes -- which are the first foreign-produced aircraft added to the list -- violated the Export Administration Regulations’ de minimis threshold for U.S. components by flying into Russia or Belarus. The agency also updated various tail numbers and serial numbers for other listed planes.
The U.S. is preparing several new restrictions on exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China to further impede Beijing’s semiconductor capabilities, according to multiple reports.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Aug. 2 suspended the export privileges of a Venezuela-based cargo airline for violating U.S. export controls. The agency said Empresa de Transporte Aéreocargo del Sur, also known as Aerocargo del Sur Transportation Company, acquired control of a U.S.-origin Boeing aircraft from Mahan Air -- Iran’s sanctioned airline -- and illegally flew that plane between Venezuela, Iran and Russia. BIS suspended the airlines’ export privileges for 180 days, barring it from participating in transactions subject to the Export Administration Regulations.
The Bureau of Industry and Security updated its restricted aircraft list with 25 foreign-produced planes that have violated U.S. export controls, the agency said in an news release. BIS said the commercial planes -- which are the first foreign-produced aircraft added to the list -- violated the Export Administration Regulations’ de minimis threshold for U.S. components by flying into Russia or Belarus. Certain activities involving the planes, including maintenance and repair, are now subject to restrictions outlined in General Prohibition 10 of the EAR.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls changed how certain submitted forms are displayed in the Defense Export Control and Compliance System, the agency said in a notice this week. DDTC said submitted forms in the Registration, Commodity Jurisdiction and Advisory Opinion applications will be displayed as PDFs “as opposed to a webform view,” which will allow DDTC to “store the request exactly as it was submitted, and the form will remain unaffected by any future policy changes or system updates.” Questions should be directed to the DDTC Help Desk.
U.S. export controls on artificial intelligence may not be the right strategy to hinder Chinese progress in certain AI subfields, including machine learning, Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology said in a report this week. While the controls may seem “attractive in the abstract,” the report said most decoupling regimes are “imperfect and frequently act as a hindrance, rather than an absolute bar, to a rival’s technological progress.”