On July 12, 2021, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued Venezuela General License 40 (“GL 40”), “Authorizing Certain Transactions Involving the Exportation or Reexportation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas to Venezuela.” OFAC concurrently issued related FAQs (FAQ 914 and FAQ 915). Our previous blog posts about US sanctions targeting Venezuela are available here.

On June 9, 2021, the Biden Administration issued Executive Order 14034, “Protecting Americans’ Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries” (“EO 14034”). EO 14034 revokes three executive orders issued by the Trump Administration that effectively banned certain Chinese connected software applications (“apps”) from operating in the United States. Although EO 14034 revokes these legal authorities and calls for their implementing rules to be rescinded, EO 14034 signals that the Biden Administration will continue to analyze the national security risks presented by apps developed by persons subject to the jurisdiction or control of “foreign adversaries” and suggests that additional restrictions may be issued in the future.

On May 28, 2021, the Biden Administration issued a press release confirming the re-imposition of sanctions on certain Belarusian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) (presaged by the issuance of wind down Belarus General License 2H on April 19, 2021) and suspending the application of the 2019 US-Belarus Air Services Agreement (“2019 USB Agreement”) in response to the Belarusian government’s apparent forced diversion of a commercial flight to Minsk on May 23.

On April 20, 2021, the Biden Administration took steps to address cybersecurity risks in the US energy sector industrial base by announcing a 100-day cybersecurity initiative for electricity subsector industrial control systems (“100-Day Plan”) and by issuing, on April 22, 2021, a Request for Information to inform future recommendations for US energy systems’ supply chain security (“RFI”).

On April 20, 2021, the Biden Administration took steps to address cybersecurity risks in the US energy sector industrial base by announcing a 100-day cybersecurity initiative for electricity subsector industrial control systems and by issuing, on April 22, 2021, a Request for Information to inform future recommendations for US energy systems’ supply chain security.

On February 10, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14014 “Blocking Property with Respect to the Situation in Burma” (“EO 14014”), which provides for the imposition of sanctions on certain Burmese parties in response to the Burmese military’s coup against the democratically elected civilian government in Burma. In parallel with the issuance…

On March 29, 2021, the Commerce Department published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on potential licensing or other pre-clearance processes for transactions under the regulations that took effect on March 22, 2021 to implement Executive Order 13873, “Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain” (Executive Order…

The US Government has imposed a series of sanctions against Myanmar Economic Corporation Limited (MEC) and Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company Limited (a.k.a. Myanmar Economic Holding Limited) (MEHL), two military-affiliated conglomerates, in response to the February military coup in Burma (Myanmar). The combined restrictions are likely to have a significant…

On January 14, 2021, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to remove Sudan’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) (the “Amendments”).  The Amendments implement the rescission of Sudan as an SST as announced by the Trump Administration in December 2020 by removing…

On January 27, 2021, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 1A, “Authorizing Transactions Involving Securities of Certain Communist Chinese Military Companies,” (“GL 1A”) in relation to OFAC’s Communist Chinese Military Companies (“CCMCs”) sanctions program as implemented pursuant to Executive Order 13959 (“EO 13959”) and…