The Council of the European Union on May 12 extended the sanctions against cyber-attacks threatening the EU for another year, until May 18, 2026. The council also extended the legal framework for the restrictions for three years, pushing them until May 18, 2028. The framework lets the EU impose targeted sanctions on individuals or entities involved in "cyber-attacks which cause a significant impact, and constitute an external threat to the EU or its member states," the council said. The measures currently apply to 17 people and four entities.
The State Department this week added Cuba back to the list of countries that aren’t cooperating fully with U.S. counterterrorism efforts, about one year after the Biden administration delisted the island nation (see 2405170040).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned about two dozen entities and vessels with ties to Iran's oil trade, including front companies that it said are hiding the origin of Iranian oil, China-based buyers, and ships moving Iranian oil. The designations target companies and ships in Hong Kong, Singapore and Iran, and vessels carrying the flags of Cameroon and Panama and their owners based in Hong Kong and the Seychelles.
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President Donald Trump announced May 13 that he plans to order the “cessation of sanctions against Syria” to give the war-torn country a “chance at greatness.”
DOJ is revising its corporate enforcement policy to encourage more voluntary disclosures, including by outlining a clearer path for self-reporting companies to avoid criminal prosecutions, the agency said. It’s also adding trade and sanctions to the list of “priority areas” for its whistleblower awards program.
The Bureau of Industry and Security officially announced this week that it plans to rescind the Biden administration’s AI diffusion export control rule and issue a “replacement rule in the future.” The agency also issued new guidance about how using Huawei Ascend chips and other Chinese chips likely violates U.S. export controls, published recommendations for companies to protect their supply chains against “diversion tactics,” and outlined the types of activities involving AI chips and AI models that may trigger a license requirement.
Jerrob Duffy, former head of DOJ's litigation unit in the criminal fraud section, has joined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the investigations, white collar and fraud practice, the firm announced. Duffy joins from Squire Patton, and his practice includes sanctions violations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act proceedings and the False Claims Act investigations, Hogan Lovells said.
Former senior DOJ official Matthew McKenzie has joined defense contractor RTX as director and counsel for global trade, he announced on LinkedIn. McKenzie left DOJ this month after working at the agency for 10 years, including stints as the acting deputy chief for export controls and sanctions and the national coordinator for the Disruptive Technology Strike Force.
Alan Estevez, undersecretary of the Bureau of Industry and Security during the Biden administration, has joined Covington & Burling as a senior adviser. Estevez is joining the firm's practice groups working on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and international trade controls. Estevez served as undersecretary for more than three years, during which he oversaw the introduction and implementation of a range of new export control rules to restrict sales of advanced semiconductors and chip-related technology to China; new export restrictions against Russia; the continued expansion of the Entity List; and more.