The Commerce Department has been receiving fewer questions and complaints on export controls as it proceeds with the government’s Export Control Reform initiative, said Hillary Hess, director of the regulatory policy division at the Bureau of Industry and Security. The reform process, which began under the Obama administration and continues as Commerce prepares to release proposed export controls on emerging and foundational technologies (see 1909030037), has proved largely “effective,” Hess said. Hess said she uses the number of complaints from U.S. industry as a measurement.
Robert Monjay, previously the acting co-division chief of the Technology and Jurisdictional Analysis Division in the State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, joined Akin Gump as senior counsel in the international trade practice, the law firm said in a news release. "Monjay is a former State Department policy official responsible for the application, amendment and interpretation of International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)," the firm said. "He held similar responsibilities while previously serving as a policy official in the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security."
Japan submitted "opinions and questions" to South Korea regarding South Korea’s plans to remove Japan from its list of trusted trading partners, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a Sept. 3 press release. Japan said if South Korea does not provide clarification on its measures or does not answer Japan’s questions, Japan will view South Korea’s actions as “arbitrary and illegitimate countermeasures,” the press release said.
The United Nations Security Council renewed its Mali sanctions until Aug. 31, 2020, the council said in an Aug. 29 notice. The sanctions place asset freezes on certain Malian entities and people.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated its guide of the country’s consolidated list of asset freeze targets, the U.K. said in an Aug. 30 notice. The list also includes “persons subject to restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions” in Ukraine, the U.K. said. The list includes a new search function that will allow users to “quickly and easily” search the targets based on any identifying information, according to a post from Baker McKenzie.
The Treasury’s Sept. 3 sanctions against three space-related Iranian entities were aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear development and missile programs, the State Department said. The three sanctioned entities -- the Iran Space Agency, the Iran Space Research Center and the Astronautics Research Institute (see 1909030054) -- are all run by the Iranian government and develop technologies that can be used in Iranian missile systems, the State Department said. Technologies such as space launch vehicles are virtually identical and interchangeable with those used in intercontinental ballistic missiles, and when put to use in the civilian space program allow Iran’s space agencies “to gain experience with various technologies” needed to develop rocket-propelled weapons delivery systems, the U.S. said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions on a shipping network that moves hundreds of millions of dollars of oil for Iran, Treasury said in a Sept. 4 press release. The network includes dozens of ship managers, ships and “facilitators” overseen by Rostam Qasemi, a senior Iranian military official and the country’s former minister of petroleum. The sanctions target 16 entities, 10 people and 11 ships.
U.S. export controls are confusing, burdensome and often place U.S. companies at a disadvantage compared with foreign competitors, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said in an Aug. 29 report.
Commerce revoked export privileges for Sammy Smith, who was convicted in 2018 of violating the Export Control Act after trying to illegally export firearms components from the U.S. to Turkey, Commerce said in an Aug. 30 notice. Smith tried to export several items on the U.S. Munitions List, including “glock pistol upper receivers, barrels and recoil springs, Lone Wolf pistol upper receivers with matching barrels and a Beretta PX4 pistol short barrel,” Commerce said. Smith was sentenced to two months in prison, six months of supervised release and a $100 fine, the notice said. Commerce revoked Smith’s export privileges for seven years dating from his July 9, 2018, conviction.
The Food and Drug Administration announced that it has “fully transitioned” to its year-old Export Listing Module for the European Union dairy export list and all export lists maintained for Chile and China. U.S. establishments that are currently included on the EU collagen, gelatin or seafood export lists “should submit applications in the ELM if they wish to remain on these lists,” FDA said on its website. And “effective immediately, any U.S. establishment that wishes to be included on any FDA-maintained export list for food products should apply in the ELM,” FDA said. Launched in July 2018 (see 1807100050), FDA’s ELM is “an electronic portal for receiving and processing requests from FDA-regulated establishments that seek to be included on all export lists for FDA-regulated food products” that may be required by some importing countries. FDA said the ELM will notify currently listed establishments that they must resubmit their ELM applications every two years and update their listing information, else they will be removed from the lists.