An Iranian national was extradited to the U.S. from the U.K. on charges related to his alleged role in a scheme to evade U.S. export controls by shipping electronic testing technology to Iran, DOJ announced. Saeid Haji Agha Mousaei made his initial appearance in an Illinois U.S. District Court on July 22, where he faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., smuggling goods from the U.S., wire fraud and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Minsu Fang, a Chinese national, was indicted for allegedly conspiring to import what the U.S. government believes to be "the largest amount of fentanyl precursors found in the Southern District of Texas and one of the largest in the country," DOJ announced July 22.
The Council of the European Union on July 22 sanctioned four people and two entities for "serious human rights abuses," including the systematic use of sexual and gender-based violence in Syria, Ukraine, North Korea and Haiti.
Madagascar told the World Trade Organization July 18 that it opened on that date a safeguard investigation on certain types of edible vegetable oils, the WTO announced. The island nation said interested parties "must make themselves known" to the country's investigating authority within 30 days of the opening of the investigation.
Iraq resumed its talks on accession to the World Trade Organization on July 18 following a 16-year break in the negotiating process. The WTO said Iraq "reaffirmed its pledge to join" the world body, while noting its "significant economic and legislative reforms."
The World Trade Organization's published agenda for the Dispute Settlement Body's July 26 meeting indicates China will request the establishment of a dispute settlement panel on the U.S. government's tax credits for electric vehicles under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The EU and Serbia signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a "Strategic Partnership" on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains and electric vehicles, the European Commission announced July 19. EU and Serbia will develop a road map to implement the strategic partnership within six months, according to the MOU.
The Council of the European Union on July 22 renewed its sanctions regime on Russia for another six months, extending the restrictions until Jan. 31. The regime includes a range of individual, sectoral, trade, financial and servicing restrictions.
Benin and Sierra Leone formally accepted the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies July 19, bringing to 80 the number of countries that have accepted the deal. The WTO requires 30 more formal acceptances to reach the two-thirds of membership threshold needed for the agreement to be able to enter into force.
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision upending the Chevron principle of deferring to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes requires a more demanding review of the Office of Foreign Assets Control's use of the Global Magnitsky Act and International Emergency Economic Powers Act, sanctioned Mir Rahman Rahmani and his son, Hafi Ajmal Rahmani, argued (Mir Rahman Rahmani v. Janet Yellen, D.D.C. # 24-00285).