The United States has imposed sanctions on three procurement networks for supplying designated Iranian entities with materials for the production of military weapons under Iran’s ballistic missile, nuclear and defense programs. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated Iranian-German national Maziar Karim, his companies Mazixon GmbH and Co KG and...
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Category: Policy Updates
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US Sanctions Money Laundering Network Supporting Somali Militant Group al-Shabab
The United States has sanctioned a network of individuals and entities that raise and launder money for Somalia-based al-Shabaab. According to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the al-Qaida affiliate is a militant group responsible for attacks in East Africa that have killed thousands of innocent civilians. The sanction targeted eight...
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US Designates Two Companies Over Links to Russia’s Wagner Group
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Russian company Broker Expert and Central African Republic-based Wood International Group for supporting the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded private military company. According to the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Wagner Group has launched actions threatening the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of...
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Treasury Designates Companies, Vessels Shipping Commodities to Finance Houthis
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned several foreign companies and vessels for transporting commodities to finance the terror activities of the Houthi militant group. According to the agency, Marshall Islands-based Reneez Shipping and the Hongkong Unitop Group operated Palau-flagged Reneez and Panama-flagged Eternal Fortune, respectively, to ship cargos on...
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Report: US Stalls AMD Bid to Supply China With AI Processor
The United States has reportedly stalled Advanced Micro Devices’ bid to sell an artificial intelligence chip with lower performance capability to China. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that U.S. officials informed AMD that the AI processor was still classified as powerful. They advised the chipmaker to secure a license from the Department...
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US Updates Advisory on Cyberthreats From Chinese-Made Port Equipment
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has added Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries to its list of Chinese government-backed logistics management companies with platforms posing cyberattack risks to maritime stakeholders. According to the new MARAD advisory effective Feb. 21 to Aug. 19, Shanghai Zhenhua’s ship-to-shore cranes are vulnerable to cyberattacks as some of their configurations...
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US Sanctions Procurement Network for Facilitating Export of Restricted Items to Iran
The United States has sanctioned a procurement network for facilitating the export of restricted items to end users in Iran. According to the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, the sanctions target three individuals and four entities linked with the transfer of U.S. technology to the Central Bank of Iran, which the...
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Pentagon Issues Cyber Defense Guidebook for US Allies, Partners
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a guidebook for international partners to share information on strengthening cybersecurity measures and command, control and communication modernization capabilities. “Standards Guide for Foreign Partners 2023,” issued on Wednesday, also covers the cloud structure and complementary domains, including artificial intelligence and data. The document’s contents are unclassified, readily available...
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UN Experts Probe North Korea’s Alleged $3B Cyberattacks, Sanction Violations
A panel of experts from the United Nations said they are investigating 58 suspected cyberattacks by North Korea with an estimated value of $3 billion. The cyber operations were reportedly used to advance Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program, according to the Associated Press, citing a summary of the UN panel’s report. The UN panel, which monitors...
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Tech Expert Warns of Cyberattack Risk to US Critical Infrastructure From China
A top official at the not-for-profit government organization Mitre warned that the United States has about three years to figure out a better way to protect critical infrastructure before China launches an all-out attack. On Feb. 6, Charles Clancy, chief technology officer at Mitre, told legislators during a House hearing on water sector security that the...