The Biden administration this week updated its guidance for companies doing business in Myanmar with new industry sectors and business activities that may lead to sanctions evasion, export control violations or other supply chain risks. The update now specifically mentions Myanmar’s rare earth elements; base metals and gold; timber; and aviation services industries, and warns companies about goods being diverted to military end uses and end users in the country; risks posed by financial services provided by state-owned banks; and ongoing forced labor and human rights abuses against Myanmar workers.

The State Department approved two potential military sales, to Greece and Croatia, worth more than $9 billion combined, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Jan. 26.

The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is seeking public comments on an information collection involving beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports. New FinCEN rules recently took effect that will require certain entities to report to the agency information about their beneficial owners, which could help U.S. authorities determine whether sanctioned parties or others are illegally hiding money or property in the U.S. (see 2401050023). The information collection specifically deals with a December FinCEN rule to allow financial institutions to access information from a newly created BOI database to help them conduct certain sanctions-related due diligence (see 2312210017). Comments are due April 1.

Industry groups warned the Biden administration this week against new measures to curb liquefied natural gas export approvals, saying any decision to halt LNG exports “would be a major mistake.”

The State Department is offering up to $15 million for information leading to the “disruption of financial mechanisms” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including mechanisms used by Hossein Hatefi Ardakani, an Iranian businessman who helps procure technology and parts for Iran’s weapons programs, the agency said this week. Ardakani, who was charged in December with export control violations (see 2312190069), uses a network of companies in Malaysia, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates to buy items from the U.S. and other countries and ship them to Iran, the State Department said. The agency said U.S. aviation parts bought by Ardakani’s network have been found in destroyed Iranian drones on Ukraine battlefields.

A Federal Maritime Commission hearing on the current conditions in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden will be held Feb. 7 and, if necessary, continue Feb. 8, according to a Federal Register notice. Those who want to testify or submit written testimony must email the FMC secretary before Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. EST, the notice said. The hearing, beginning at 10 a.m., will be held at the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C.

The Defense Department’s new National Defense Industrial Strategy doesn't advocate for broad acquisition reform or significant new legislation, but it does show DOD plans to use existing authorities for several acquisition-related initiatives, including improving the Foreign Military Sales program, Wiley Rein said Jan. 19.

The Aerospace Industries Association has released a five-page summary of major provisions in the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that deal with the Australia, U.K. and U.S. (AUKUS) security partnership and the Foreign Military Sales program.

U.S. and Chinese officials met in Beijing last week for the third meeting of the two countries’ Financial Working Group, where they discussed “financial stability” and international financial institutions, including anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism controls. “U.S. officials also frankly raised areas of disagreement during the conversations,” the Treasury Department said in a readout of the meeting. Both sides agreed to continue meeting regularly, and Treasury said Secretary Janet Yellen "looks forward to a return visit to China at the appropriate time.”

The U.S. government’s enforcement actions last year show that it’s “very apparent” that export controls are a “major priority” for the Biden administration, and that will continue this year, risk intelligence firm Sayari said this month.