The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued four new general licenses and three frequently asked questions to help sustain the flow of humanitarian aid to Yemen, according to a Jan. 19 notice. General License No. 9, No. 10 and No. 11 authorize certain transactions by the U.S. government, certain international organizations and nongovernmental organizations with Ansarallah, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this month (see 2101110015). General License No. 12 authorizes certain exports and reexports of agricultural products, medicine, medical devices, replacement parts and components and other humanitarian goods involving Ansarallah.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three people, 14 entities and six vessels for their involvement in a sanctions evasion network in Venezuela’s oil sector, OFAC said Jan. 19. The designations include Malta-based Elemento and Switzerland-based Swissoil, both of which are involved in buying, shipping and selling Venezuelan oil. OFAC also sanctioned Francisco Javier D’Agostino Casado, Alessandro Bazzoni and Philipp Paul Vartan Apikian for helping to coordinate the oil purchases. The agency also sanctioned a range of entities controlled by Bazzoni, D’Agostino and Elemento and ships that transported the oil.
The Trump administration told a number of Huawei suppliers that it planned to revoke their licenses to sell to the company and planned to reject “dozens” of other Huawei-related license applications, according to a Jan. 17 Reuters report. The actions impacted licenses used by Intel, Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Corp and others, the report said. Reuters said the action was taken as about 150 licenses were pending for $120 billion worth of goods and technology, which have been held up due to interagency disagreements. Another $280 billion in license applications have yet to be processed but are “likely” to be denied, the report said. The Commerce Department rejected a “flurry” of Huawei-related license applications last week, and an agency official said the pandemic has contributed to adjudication delays and a backlog of applications (see 2101150062). A Bureau of Industry and Security spokesperson said the agency continues to work with interagency partners to “apply consistently the licensing policies articulated” in the Export Administration Regulations “in a manner that protects U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.”
The U.S. should increase efforts to counter China’s unfair trading practices and human rights violations and work closer with allies on trade restrictions, two of President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees told Congress. Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary nominee, and Avril Haines, the nominee for the director of national intelligence, both said the incoming administration will continue to pressure China on unfair subsidies, intellectual property theft and other trade issues.
European Union Director General for Trade Sabine Weyand told an audience Jan. 15 that resolving punitive tariffs are “a prerequisite for creating a good atmosphere” so that the EU and the U.S. can coordinate on confronting China's trade abuses and creating a carbon border adjustment.
The European Union sanctioned Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister Faisal Mekdad for his involvement in the country's “violent repression against the civilian population,” a Jan. 15 notice said. The designation includes an asset freeze and other trade restrictions, the European Council said.
The State Department sanctioned a group and two people involved in terrorism and maintained the terrorist designation of another group, it said Jan. 14. The agency designated Harakat Sawa’d Misr (HASM) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Yahya al-Sayyid Ibrahim Musa and Alaa Ali Ali Mohammed al-Samahi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The State Department also maintained the FTO designation of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The designations block the U.S. property of the groups and people and “generally” prohibit transactions with them.
The State Department sanctioned a range of entities and people engaged in illegal business with Iran, it said Jan. 15. The designations target companies doing business with Iranian shipping entities and Iranian entities for arms proliferation.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Cuban Ministry of Interior and Minister of Interior Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas for human rights violations, OFAC said Jan. 15. OFAC said the ministry is responsible for Cuba’s internal security and for arresting “persons of interest” to the ministry, including Cuban dissidents and activists, and employing torture tactics.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan. 15 issued regulations to implement the Hong Kong sanctions authorities outlined in President Donald Trump’s July executive order that ended preferential treatment for the region (see 2007150019). The regulations, which were published in a final rule and took effect Jan. 15, describe which activities are blocked and outline penalties, reporting requirements, record-keeping requirements and more. OFAC said it plans to add to the final rule “with a more comprehensive set of regulations, which may include additional interpretive and definitional guidance and additional general licenses and statements of licensing policy.”