A Lebanese national was sentenced on July 21 to 44 months in prison for attempting to unlawfully export goods from the U.S. to Iran without a license, attempting to smuggle goods from the U.S., submitting false export information and conspiring to commit money laundering, DOJ announced. Brian Assi was convicted in October 2024 of trying to export "U.S.-made heavy machinery" to Iran (see 2410250042).
The U.K. on July 18 added to its Russia and cyber sanctions regimes, listing three people and one entity under the Russia list and 18 individuals and one entity under the cyber list.
The Council of the European Union on July 18 adopted a fourth sanctions package against Sudan in response to the Sudanese civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The designations target Alkhaleej Bank, Red Rock Mining Company, SAF military commander Abu Aqla Mohamed Kaikal and RSF military field commander Hussein Barsham. The council said Alkhaleej Bank is "largely owned by companies linked to family members of RMS Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo" and is central to financing RSF operations. The Red Rock Mining Company is involved in facilitating production of weapons and vehicles for the SAF, the council said.
The Council of the European Union on July 15 sanctioned Russian individuals and entities for committing human rights abuses and engaging in destabilizing actions abroad through foreign information manipulation.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 11 upheld Chinese lidar company Hesai Technology's designation as a "Chinese military company." Judge Paul Friedman waded through issues of statutory interpretation regarding the Pentagon's definition of the phrase "military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base" and DOD's evidentiary basis for finding that this phrase describes Hesai (Hesai Technology v. U.S. Dep't of Def., D.D.C. # 24-01381).
The Council of the European Union on July 15 added people and entities to its Iran, Haiti and Moldova sanctions list and renewed the Haiti sanctions regime for another year.
An Iranian national and U.S. resident was arrested for allegedly exporting electronics used in railway signaling and telecommunications systems in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, DOJ announced last week. Bahram Ostovari is charged with one count of conspiring to violate the IEEPA and three counts of violating the IEEPA, facing a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for each count.
The U.K. on July 3 added three financial sanctions FAQs covering what constitutes an "economic resource" and when licenses are required from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation if licenses have been issued by a "Crown Dependency or Overseas Territory."
Scott Wise, former assistant general counsel for global trade at Microsoft, has joined Crowell & Moring as a partner in the international trade group, the firm announced. At Microsoft, Wise was the lead attorney on economic sanctions and outbound investment issues regarding emerging technologies, such as AI and quantum computing, the firm said.
The Council of the European Union on June 27 agreed to a partial negotiating mandate on reforming the EU customs framework to allow it to address trends such as "huge increases in trade volumes, especially in e-commerce," various EU standards that need to be checked at the border, and "shifting geopolitical realities and crises." The mandate allows for negotiations with the European Parliament on customs reform.