On March 20, 2015, AAG Makina, a Turkish equipment manufacturer, settled one charge of aiding an unauthorized export to Iran with the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security…
Export Controls & Sanctions
The Wisconsin Project conducts research and advocacy to support robust controls on strategic goods and enforcement of autonomous and international sanctions. Export controls and sanctions are powerful means of inhibiting the spread of technologies used to make weapons of mass destruction. Listed below is a selection of the Wisconsin Project’s work in these areas, including analysis of export control enforcement cases, Iran sanctions violations, and commentary on U.S. export control policy.
Grappling with U.N. Sanctions
Last week, negotiators in the ongoing nuclear talks grappled with how quickly to lift United Nations sanctions on Iran if a deal is reached. Reuters reported on March 12 that…
German Authorities Sentence Four Men for Supplying Iran with Valves for Heavy Water Reactor
German authorities sentenced four men to punishments ranging from four years in prison to 18 months’ probation for illegally supplying Iran with over one thousand valves for its Arak heavy…
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Ship Industrial Machine to Iran via Dubai
On May 20, 2014, Pennsylvania businessman Helmut Oertmann pleaded guilty to attempting to ship a horizontal lathe (also known as a bar peeling machine or “peeler”) to Iran via Dubai…
Iran Launches Another Satellite; E.U. to Close Sanctions Loophole
Iran conducted a successful satellite launch on February 2, sending the Fajr satellite into orbit aboard the Safir rocket. The launch marks Iran’s fourth successful attempt to place a satellite…
Obama Administration Wins Delay on Sanctions from Senate Democrats
The Obama administration sent two top officials to Congress twice in the past week, to defend ongoing nuclear talks with Iran and to argue against two Iran-related bills gaining ground…
Showdown on Iran Sanctions
The debate over new Iran sanctions heated up last week, as President Barack Obama called for Congress to “show patience,” while Senate leaders finalized language on two sanctions bills. The…
GOP Threatens to Boost Sanctions
Senator Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois, repeated last week a widely held prediction: The Senate, now controlled by his party, will vote new sanctions against Iran as one of its…
Plus Ca Change…More Sanctions and Hopeful Comments Ring in New Year
Nuclear negotiations with Iran assumed a familiar pose in the waning days of December and the first days of 2015. Positive comments by both sides accompanied little progress. In an…
More on the North Korean Vessel Seized in Panama
On July 12, authorities in Panama boarded and searched the Chong Chon Gang, a North Korean-flagged cargo vessel returning from Cuba and preparing to transit the Panama Canal. The Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control has analyzed the voyage history of the Chong Chon Gang and related vessels over the past decade.