A Virginia man was sentenced yesterday to 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for criminal conduct in connection with a scheme to unlawfully export heavy equipment from the United States to Iran by routing the shipments though the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Commerce officials announced the arrrest of a Los Angeles man for his alleged involvement in a years-long scheme to secure and unlawfully export sensitive technology from the United States for the benefit of a Russian business. 

In a letter addressed to the Swiss company ASEA Brown Boveri Ltd. (ABB), a group of House Republican lawmakers requested public testimony from its U.S. Country Holding Officer, Michael Gray, regarding the company’s relationship with the Chinese state-owned enterprise, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited (ZPMC). 

Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is conducting a comprehensive assessment of the use of mature-node semiconductor devices (legacy chips) in the supply chains that support—directly or indirectly—U.S. national security and critical infrastructure.

The House passed a bill Thursday to create a new position within U.S. Customs and Border Protection that will "streamline operations to more effectively respond to global trade challenges and enforce our trade laws."

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking its first oil price cap enforcement action of 2024, targeting a shipping company linked to a price cap violation. OFAC is also issuing Russia-related General License 13H , "Authorizing Certain Administrative Transactions Prohibited by Directive 4 under Executive Order 14024," and Russia-related General License 86, "Authorizing Limited Safety and Environmental Transactions Involving Certain Persons or Vessels Blocked on January 18, 2024." OFAC is also amending Frequently Asked Question 1157. 

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Alberto Pimentel Mata for his role in exploiting the Guatemalan mining sector through widespread bribery schemes, including schemes related to government contracts and mining licenses.

Yemen is not subject to jurisdiction-based sanctions, nor will it become subject to jurisdiction-based sanctions on February 16, 2024. In order to ensure that the humanitarian aid community and commercial actors can continue providing humanitarian aid and commercial goods in Yemen, on January 17, 2024, OFAC issued five general licenses (GLs) to authorize certain categories of transactions, including: (1) agriculture, medicine, and medical devices; (2) telecommunications mail, and certain internet communications; (3) personal remittances; (4) refined petroleum products (including fuel); and (5) operation and use of ports and airports for import of goods.

Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matt Axelrod announced enhancements and expansions of the Bureau's Voluntary Self-Disclosure program, including simplified reporting, e-mail submittals and expedited handling of corrective action for unlawfully exported items. In a speech January 16 at NYU School of Law’s Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement Mr. Alelrod described the changes, along with an engaging history of the jukebox, details of which can be found in the complete speech.  

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is potentially vulnerable to threats from foreign and domestic actors.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative today announced that Heather Hurlburt will step down as chief of staff on January 26, 2024.   Jamila Thompson, a current senior advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative, will serve as acting chief of staff following Hurlburt’s departure. 

For 44 years, WTTL has kept practitioners current on developments in Trade Policy, Politics and Regulation in Washington and Geneva. Thank you for your readership. For any questions about website access and your subscription, please contact us at Info@TradeRegs.com – Or call the Editor, Frank Ruffing, at +1.703.283.5220

For 44 years, WTTL has kept practitioners current on developments in Trade Policy, Politics and Regulation in Washington and Geneva. Thank you for your readership. For any questions about website access and your subscription, please contact us at Info@TradeRegs.com – Or call the Editor, Frank Ruffing, at +1.703.283.5220

For questions about website access, your subscription, or to request a free trial, contact us at Info@TradeRegs.com – Or call the Editor, Frank Ruffing, at +1.703.283.5220

The US Export-Import Bank signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday with the Saudi Export-Import Bank to facilitate the financing of US exports to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The MOU will encourage collaboration between the two export credit agencies as well as support exports in a variety of sectors, including climate and energy security, critical minerals projects, infrastructure, transportation and digital technology.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday said Republican former President Donald Trump's plan to raise tariffs 10% across the board would raise costs for U.S. consumers, although the United States needs some tariffs and is reviewing those linked to China, Reuters news service reported. “It would certainly raise the cost of a wide variety of goods that American businesses and consumers rely on. In some cases, I think tariffs are appropriate,” Ms. Yellen told reporters during a visit to Roxbury Community college in Boston when asked about Trump’s proposal.

Doha agriculture negotiations Chair Ambassador Alparslan Acarsoy of Türkiye is understood to have held a meeting with a dozen trade envoys yesterday to elicit their views on how to finalize an outcome document for trade ministers to decide at the World Trade Organization’s 13th ministerial conference, our correspondent reports. The meeting appears to have witnessed some frank discussions, even though the time for arriving at an outcome on agriculture is limited given that MC13 will take place next month.

House Select Committee on China Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc) is once again airing his concerns about a company with ties to the Chinese military – this time Emirati artificial intelligence …

The US trade deficit fell in November thanks to strong US services exports, the Commerce Department reported. The goods and services deficit was $63.2 billion in November, down $1.3 billion from $64.5 billion in October.

The Swiss government has decided not to convene an informal ministerial meeting on the margins of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos this year due to “intense preparations” for the World Trade Organization’s 13th ministerial conference that is going to start in Abu Dhabi on February 26. As trade envoys return from their Christmas break, they face a mountain of challenges on how to resolve their differences on a range of issues/deliverables for the MC13 in the next 45 days.  So far, there seems to be little or no convergence on any of the issues that range from the crucial