The Bureau of Industry and Security last week added 32 entities to the Entity List, most of them based in China, for either circumventing export controls on China, supplying controlled items to Russia, evading BIS end-use checks, supporting China’s military modernization, or other activities that BIS said breached U.S. export rules.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 32 entities to the Entity List for either circumventing export controls on China, supplying controlled items to Russia, evading BIS end-use checks or other activities that BIS said breached U.S. export rules. The additions include 23 entities located in China, along with others based in India, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, the agency said in a final rule released and effective Sept. 12. They will be subject to license requirements for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, and licenses will be reviewed under a presumption of denial or policy of denial.

House lawmakers have proposed dozens of export control-, sanctions- and foreign investment-related amendments to their chamber’s version of the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including measures aimed at China, Russia and Turkey.

Estonia has recently seen an uptick in shipments of imported plywood that it suspects of violating EU sanctions against Russia, the country’s tax and customs agency said this month.

The U.K. this week revised its Russia-related sanctions evasion guidance to update its list of countries and items that pose high risk of sanctions circumvention.

A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty on July 28 to smuggling goods from the U.S. to Russia, DOJ announced. Andrew Pogosyan, through his company, Omega Diagnostics, evaded export controls on Russia by shipping "scientific and diagnostic research equipment components to Russia without the required licenses," DOJ said.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned more than 115 people, entities and vessels for their ties to Iran, including for their part in a “vast shipping empire” controlled by Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the son of a top political adviser to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Shamkhani. The designations -- which target a network generating tens of billions of dollars for Iran by moving oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia to buyers around the world -- represent the U.S.'s largest Iran-related sanctions action since 2018, OFAC said.

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 latest EU sanctions package against Russia, adopted last week, lowers the price cap on Russian oil, introduces more import and export restrictions and designates a range of vessels and companies helping Russia move energy products and evade sanctions.

The U.N. Security Council isn’t yet ready to follow the U.S. in removing a broad range of sanctions against Syria, said Thomas Barrack, the Trump administration’s special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey.