WASHINGTON, United States — The Biden administration on Wednesday, Dec. 7 added 24 companies and other entities to an export control list for supporting Russia’s military or defense industrial base, Pakistan’s nuclear activities, or for supplying an electronics company based in Iran.
The entities — which are based in Latvia, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore and Switzerland — were added over U.S. national security and foreign policy concerns, the Commerce Department said.
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The companies include Fiber Optic Solutions in Latvia, which produces fiber optic gyroscopes and other equipment and Russia’s AO Kraftway Corporation PSC, which calls itself one of the biggest Russian IT companies. The company says it builds and sells a wide range of IT solutions including hardware manufacturing.
Also on the list are Russian AO Scientific Research Center for Electronic Computing, LLC Fibersense, and Scientific Production Company Optolin, AO PKK Milandr; Milandr EK OOO; Milandr ICC JSC; Milur IS, OOO; (OOO) Microelectronic Production Complex (MPK) Milandr; and Ruselectronics JSC and Swiss based Milur SA.
The Commerce Department also added four trading and supply companies in Singapore for supplying or attempting to supply an Iranian electronics company, Pardazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), that was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2018.
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The ban comes hot on the heels of five Chinese companies blacklisted in June over alleged ties to Russia. The corporations were put on an “entity list,” that effectively bars U.S. companies from exporting to them.
The companies, which are not globally recognized names, are Connec Electronic, King Pai Technology, Sinno Electronics, Winninc Electronic and World Jetta (HK) Logistics.
‘Unacceptable risks’
10 companies based in Pakistan and UAE were also deemed by the Biden administration as posing unacceptable risks of using or diverting items for Pakistan’s improperly safeguarded nuclear activities or are involved Pakistan’s “nuclear activities and missile proliferation-related activities.”
The United States has made muscular use of export controls and the entity list to punish companies over their support of the Russian military and to curb the flow of foreign technology to Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February.
Suppliers of U.S. goods must seek a special a difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to companies added to the list.
None of the companies were immediately available for comment, per Reuters.
Reuters contributed to this report.
