Robert Slack

Photo of Robert Slack
Firm/Organization: Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Blogs: Trade and Manufacturing Monitor

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Yesterday the U.S. government announced that it would implement new sanctions against Russia mandated under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Act of 1991 (the CBW Act) following the apparent deployment of a chemical weapon on British soil by Russia. The first round of sanctions, which are expected to come into force on or around August 22, will prohibit many exports and reexports of goods, software, or technology to Russia controlled for national security reasons under…
A set of changes to the U.S. dual use export control rules makes exporting sensitive goods, software, and technology to India less burdensome. Over the last several years, India has joined three of the four major multilateral export control regimes – the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group.  In response to India’s ascension to these agreements, the United States has amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to ease export…
Tomorrow the United States will re-impose a set of secondary sanctions on Iran as the newly amended EU blocking statute comes into force. Following the U.S. withdrawal from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA), the United States is set to re-impose a raft of secondary sanctions targeting Iran.  The secondary sanctions are designed to penalize non-U.S. companies for conducting certain types of business involving Iran, even in cases…
Today the U.S. Department of Commerce lifted its denial order on Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE Corp., allowing THE U.S. and other companies to resume most business with ZTE. The Commerce Department imposed the denial order in April after ZTE made false statements to the Commerce Department in connection with an earlier settlement agreement regarding violations of the U.S. embargoes on Iran and North Korea.  The denial order broadly barred U.S. companies from selling goods, software,…
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Yesterday the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) formally rescinded General License H, requiring foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies to wind down remaining business related to Iran by 11:59 pm EST on November 4, 2018.  After that date, foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies and other owned or controlled entities will generally be prohibited from conducting any business related to Iran, including wind down activity.  This action was required following the President’s announcement on May…
On June 4, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law new counter-sanctions in response to U.S. sanctions imposed against Russia on April 6, 2018.  Under the new law, Putin may, among other things, sever ties with unfriendly countries and ban trade of goods with those countries.  The final version of the law stopped short of imposing criminal liability for compliance with U.S. and other foreign sanctions against Russian parties.  Companies are advised to consult…
Yesterday, the President issued a new Executive Order (E.O.) prohibiting certain financial transactions involving the Venezuelan government, including Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the state-owned oil company.  Under the new rules, persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are prohibited from engaging in transactions related to: (i) the purchase of any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela, including accounts receivable; (ii) any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela that is pledged as collateral after the…
Today, the EC announced that it is moving forward with a package of measures to blunt the impact of renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran following the U.S. exit from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).  Included in those measures is the planned activation of the EU blocking statute, which would bar EU companies from complying with the extraterritorial effects of U.S. sanctions requirements on Iran.  The statute is also intended to…
On Tuesday President Trump announced that the United States will exit the multilateral Iran nuclear deal and fully re-impose sanctions on Iran. After the announcement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the agency responsible for administering most U.S. sanctions, issued a statement and guidance on the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions. This announcement reflects a major change in U.S. policy towards Iran and will have far-reaching implications for companies that re-entered the Iranian market following…
Penalties for violations of sanctions rules administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ticked up again yesterday.  Most violations of OFAC’s rules now face statutory penalties of $295,141 or twice the value of the underlying transaction.  Penalties for violations of OFAC’s narcotics trafficking regulations are now set at $1,466,485, with penalties for violations of other OFAC regulations ranging from $13,333 to $86,976.…