U.S. places restrictions on firms from Pakistan, China, and the UAE
The United States added over two dozen entities to its trade blacklist on Monday, citing alleged support for weapons and drone development programs in Pakistan and Iran, as well as other issues such as assisting Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.
The 26 entities, primarily located in Pakistan, China, and the United Arab Emirates, were accused of violating export controls, participating in "weapons programs of concern," or circumventing U.S. sanctions and export restrictions on Russia and Iran, according to the Commerce Department. Being added to the "entity list" means they are restricted from obtaining U.S. goods and technologies without government approval.
“We are committed to protecting U.S. national security from bad actors,” said Alan Estevez, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, in a statement.
“Our actions today send a clear message: those who breach our controls will face consequences,” he added.
Nine of the Pakistani entities were blacklisted for acting as front companies and procurement agents for a company added to the list in 2014. The other seven were targeted for their involvement in Pakistan's ballistic missile program, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.
Since 2010, this group was reportedly involved in acquiring U.S.-origin products by concealing their true end users.
Six Chinese entities were blacklisted for allegedly acquiring U.S.-made items to support China's military modernization or Iran's weapons and drone programs, among other reasons.
Three entities in the UAE and one in Egypt were also added for acquiring or attempting to acquire U.S. components to evade sanctions imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, the Commerce Department removed Canada-based Sandvine from the blacklist after the company took steps to prevent its technology from being misused in ways that could violate human rights. Sandvine, which had been blacklisted in February 2024 for enabling mass web surveillance and censorship targeting human rights activists, supplies deep packet inspection technology and has previously worked with Pakistan’s Telecommunication Authority.
