On Monday, the United States placed over two dozen companies, mainly from Pakistan, China, and the UAE, on its trade blacklist.
The US Commerce Department accused these entities of aiding weapons and drone development in Pakistan and Iran, as well as assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine.
A total of 26 companies were added to the “entity list,” which restricts them from accessing US goods and technologies without government approval.
The department cited violations of export controls and efforts to evade sanctions as key reasons for the move.
Alan Estevez, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, emphasized the importance of defending US national security. “Our actions today show that if companies violate our controls, they will face consequences,” he stated.
The blacklist includes nine Pakistani companies accused of operating as front companies for a firm linked to Pakistan’s missile program.
These entities allegedly obtained US goods by hiding their true end users since 2010. Seven more Pakistani companies were also blacklisted for contributing to the country’s ballistic missile program.
Six Chinese companies were added for obtaining US goods to support China’s military and aid Iran’s weapons programs.
Meanwhile, three companies in the UAE and one in Egypt were accused of attempting to bypass sanctions related to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, Canada-based Sandvine was removed from the blacklist after taking measures to address the misuse of its technology, which had previously been linked to mass internet surveillance and censorship.
This move marks the latest in the US’s efforts to enforce strict export controls and sanctions on entities that threaten national security.