Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2662 actions· ✨ 89 recent

MOFCOM Announcement No. 44 of 2026 (3 October 2026) initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of para-nitrotoluene (对硝基甲苯, 4-nitrotoluene, HS 29042020 — an intermediate used in dyes, pigments, pesticides and pharmaceuticals) originating in the European Union. The petition was filed by Jiangsu Huaihe Chemical Co., Ltd. and Hubei Dongfang Chemical Co., Ltd. on behalf of China's domestic industry. The dumping investigation period runs 1 July 2025–30 June 2026; the injury investigation period runs 1 January 2022–30 June 2026. No provisional measures or duties are imposed by this announcement; MOFCOM expects to conclude by 3 October 2027, extendable by six months. Press reporting cites the petitioners' preliminary evidence as alleging a dumping margin exceeding 100%, but that figure is not disclosed in the MOFCOM text itself. The probe lands six days before EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is due in Beijing (8–9 October 2026) for talks aimed at defusing EU-China trade tension.

On 2 October 2026 the European Commission approved a EUR 170 million Bulgarian State aid scheme (case SA.124701), under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework (METSAF, adopted 29 April 2026), compensating farmers engaged in primary agricultural production for increased fuel and fertiliser costs. Aid is disbursed as direct grants capped at EUR 50,000 per undertaking, calculated on the basis of the price increases and combining fuel and fertiliser support across the framework period. The scheme runs until 31 December 2026.

On 1 October 2026 the UK government designated 23 individuals and entities and 8 vessels under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The package targets Russia's "war chest" financing via shadow-fleet LNG tankers evading sanctions, seven individuals spreading pro-Kremlin disinformation, eight people involved in the arbitrary detention and torture of Ukrainian civilians, and seven individuals involved in the militarisation and deportation of Ukrainian children. Designated persons are subject to UK asset freezes and travel bans; the eight vessels are added to the UK's shadow-fleet shipping-sanctions list.

MOFCOM's Foreign Trade Division issued Trade Letter [2026] No. 404 on 29 September 2026, opening the annual declaration cycle for 2027 automobile and motorcycle export licences under China's 2012 export-order licensing framework. The online application system opens 30 September 2026 and local commerce departments must complete initial review and submit applications to MOFCOM by 28 October 2026. For the first time, all applicants — including Category A manufacturers and vehicle-modification producers — must submit a new "Overseas Compliance Management Commitment Letter" pledging to follow pricing regulations and refrain from disrupting market order to gain unfair competitive advantage; companies that miss the deadline or fail to submit required documentation lose eligibility for an export licence.

Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) published a draft supreme decree on 29 September 2026 in the official gazette's Normas Legales section, proposing a new Declaración Jurada Ambiental para Exploración Minera (DJA) as an environmental management instrument complementary to the National Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA). The DJA would apply to mining-exploration projects of up to 10 drilling platforms and under 5 hectares of surface disturbance that meet specified environmental and territorial conditions, replacing a full prior environmental-impact evaluation with a sworn declaration that DGAAM must automatically approve (Constancia de Aprobación Automática) within 5 business days. Public comments are open for 15 calendar days from publication; OEFA retains environmental supervision and enforcement regardless of which instrument is used.

The Council of the European Union added 10 individuals and 17 entities to the Ukraine territorial-integrity sanctions list (Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 / Decision 2014/145/CFSP) for the unlawful deportation, forcible transfer and forced assimilation of Ukrainian children, including through indoctrination and militarised education. Listed persons and entities are subject to an EU asset freeze and a prohibition on EU persons/companies making funds or economic resources available to them; natural persons also face an EU travel ban. Adopted via Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2184 (listing instrument) and the accompanying Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2185, both dated 28 September 2026 and effective on publication.

The Council of the European Union listed 10 Russian individuals — including three Supreme Court judges, an official of the Prosecutor General's Office, and the judges/prosecutors involved in sentencing Yabloko deputy chair Lev Shlosberg to over 11 years in prison — under the EU's Russia human-rights sanctions regime (Decision (CFSP) 2024/1484 / Regulation (EU) 2024/1485), for suppressing freedom of expression, information and association in connection with the barring of the opposition party Yabloko from the September 2026 State Duma elections. Adopted via Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2193 and Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/2192, both dated 28 September 2026. Listed persons face an EU asset freeze, a prohibition on EU persons/companies making funds available to them, and a travel ban.

Following President Xi Jinping's September 2026 Washington summit with President Trump, the newly formed US-China Board of Trade released its first concrete output: "30-FOR-30" lists naming US and Chinese products recommended for reciprocal reduced-tariff treatment, covering roughly $30 billion of goods on each side. US exports named include agricultural products, wood products and cosmetics; Chinese exports named include small appliances, toys and decorations. The Board — established after the May 2026 Trump-Xi Beijing summit and preceded by a June 2026 USTR request for comments — describes the lists as recommendations only: any actual preferential tariff treatment remains subject to further decisions by both governments, so no tariff rate has yet changed.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2101 of 24 September 2026 imposes a definitive anti-dumping duty, and definitively collects the provisional duty, on imports of pea protein originating in the People's Republic of China. The product is pea protein containing more than 65% protein on a dry-weight basis, from any pea type (yellow or green field peas), solid or liquid, textured or not. Press reports put the definitive duties at 40.5%-67.1% by exporting producer, for five years, following provisional duties applied since 29 April 2026 under Regulation (EU) 2026/916.

On 23 September 2026 USTR announced the final country allocations of the FY2027 WTO tariff-rate quota for imported raw cane sugar. The total quota is 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), the WTO minimum commitment; 1,061,202 MTRV was allocated by notice of 24 July 2026 (91 FR 46822) and the remaining 55,993 MTRV is distributed to additional countries in this announcement. In-quota quantities may enter the United States from 1 October 2026, and allocations to net sugar-importing countries require origin documentation and certificates of quota eligibility.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2107 of 22 September 2026 imposes a definitive countervailing duty on imports of continuous filament glass fibre products (GFR) originating in Egypt, following an expiry review under Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1037. The Commission found that subsidisation of the Egyptian GFR industry continued during the 2024 review investigation period and remained above the de minimis threshold. The review was requested on 21 March 2025 by Glass Fibre Europe on behalf of the Union industry and opened on 24 June 2025.

The European Commission adopted Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2107 of 22 September 2026, imposing a definitive countervailing duty on imports of continuous filament glass fibre products ("GFR" — glass fibre reinforcements/rovings) originating in Egypt for a further five years, following an expiry review under Article 18 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1037. The review found continued subsidisation of the Egyptian GFR industry above the de minimis threshold during the 2024 review- investigation period, via preferential financing, capital-investment support, VAT/import-duty exemptions and rebates, and provision of land for less-than-adequate remuneration. The measure continues the 13.1% countervailing duty first imposed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/870 in June 2020.

On 22 September 2026 the Council of the European Union adopted Decision (CFSP) 2026/2161 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2160 implementing Regulation (EU) No 269/2014, prolonging the asset-freeze / travel-ban regime on persons and entities undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence for 36 months, to 22 September 2029, instead of the customary six-month cycle. Annex I is amended to delist Alisher Usmanov, Mikhail Fridman, Andrey Falaleev and the entity Redbird Corporate Services Ltd, to remove three deceased persons, and to update the entries of 104 individuals and 71 entities.

In General Notice 4162 of 2026 (Government Gazette No. 55437, 22 September 2026) the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa announced the conclusion of its sunset review of the anti-dumping duties on ropes and cables of a diameter exceeding 32 mm (steel wire ropes) originating in or imported from Germany and the United Kingdom. The Commission made a final determination that expiry of the duties would likely lead to continuation of dumping and recurrence of material injury, and decided to recommend to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition that the current duties be maintained (Report No. 786).

The Bureau of Industry and Security published a temporary final rule (91 FR 60505, RIN 0694-AK57) implementing the anti-stockpiling directive of Proclamation 11052 (6 August 2026), which sets Section 232 minimum import prices and tariffs on polysilicon and derivatives from 4 December 2026. The rule, effective 22 September through 3 December 2026, lets Commerce bar importers of record that import volumes substantially above their historic averages, caps weekly volumes of importers registered with CBP on or after 6 August 2026, and sets a waiver process.

On 18 September 2026 the European Commission adopted Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2133, imposing a provisional safeguard measure on imports of certain grain-oriented flat-rolled products of silicon-electrical steel (GOES) and steel laminations and cores (SLCs) — CN codes 7225 11 00, 7226 11 00 and 8504 90 13 — following a global safeguard investigation opened 27 March 2026. GOES is the core input for power-transformer and grid-equipment cores; the Commission's own figures show China supplied 53% of 2025 EU imports, Japan 20%, Türkiye 13% and Korea/UAE a combined 4%. Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Kenya and Ukraine are excluded from the provisional measure. The regulation does not disclose the tariff-rate-quota volume or out-of-quota duty rate in the published notice; the Commission press page frames the measure as "tariff-rate quotas coupled with price thresholds."

The Department of Food & Public Distribution raised the sugar stock-holding limit for bulk consumers — entities producing or consuming more than 10 tonnes of sugar per month — from 15 days to 30 days of consumption, effective immediately ahead of the festive season. The doubled ceiling applies only to sugar sourced under the Advance Authorisation Scheme (AAS) or Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) import routes; stock bought on the open market remains capped at 15 days. Covered consumers must now file a weekly stock declaration every Friday on the DFPD's foodstock.dfpd.gov.in portal.

On 18 September 2026 the President signed a proclamation extending Proclamation 10973 (originally issued 19 September 2025), which conditions issuance/entry on new H-1B specialty-occupation petitions on a $100,000 payment by the sponsoring employer, for a further 12 months through 21 September 2027 (exceptions remain at DHS Secretary discretion for national-interest cases). Alongside it the President signed a companion executive order, "Enhancing Program Integrity and Interagency Coordination in the Administration of the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Program," directing DHS, State and Labor to coordinate review of H-1B petitions and consult Commerce, Education and SBA on employment data, with heightened scrutiny for employers with recent or planned US-worker layoffs. The accompanying fact sheet cites a 92% drop in H-1B registrations by the largest IT-outsourcing firms (24,946 to 2,055) and a ~97% decrease in consular H-1B processing requests since the original 2025 proclamation. ## Severity basis Quant anchor from the primary source: $100,000 flat fee per covered H-1B petition, extended for a further 12-month term (through 2027-09-21); a measured 92% reduction in H-1B registrations by the largest IT-outsourcing filers (24,946 → 2,055) and a ~97% drop in consular H-1B processing requests attributed to the fee regime since its 2025 introduction. Severity 4/5: a binding, renewed cost barrier with a demonstrated order-of-magnitude effect on offshore-staffing-dependent filers, not a one-off or symbolic measure.

President Trump signed H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, into law on 18 September 2026, after the House concurred in Senate amendments on 16 September 2026 (262-159) and the Senate passed it on 7 August 2026 (86-11). The Act authorizes a 500% tariff on all US imports of Russian-origin goods and up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil and gas and the top five countries supporting Russia's oil "shadow fleet," alongside sanctions on Russian banks, the Russian financial system, and shadow-fleet vessels. It also extends the Iran Sanctions Act through 2031. All tariff/sanctions authority is discretionary: the President may decline to impose it by certifying to Congress that doing so serves the national interest, and may terminate it if Russia agrees to a durable peace with Ukraine. The Act sunsets five years after enactment.

The US Department of State amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 CFR Parts 120, 123, 125 and 126) to clarify certain policy-of-denial provisions, update country policies for Ethiopia and Somalia, add Saudi Arabia and Peru to the list of Major Non-NATO Allies (MNNA), and make other miscellaneous corrections. The Ethiopia change implements a February 5, 2026 Secretary of State determination terminating the ITAR policy of denial on defense-article and defense-service exports to Ethiopia's armed forces, police, intelligence and other internal-security forces — a change from the denial posture imposed during the Tigray war. Saudi Arabia and Peru's MNNA designations (Presidential determinations of January 13 and 14, 2026 respectively) make both countries eligible for preferential ITAR treatment, including certain license exemptions, priority license-application review, and participation in cooperative defense R&D programs. The rule is effective on publication.

On 18 September 2026 the U.S. Department of State published an interim final rule amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to remove certain uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) from U.S. Munitions List Category XX(a), effective 19 October 2026. Vessels removed from the scope of Category XX(a)(10) that are not separately described elsewhere on the USML become subject to the Commerce Department's Export Administration Regulations (EAR) instead — a reclassification from the stricter State Department license regime to Commerce jurisdiction, not a full decontrol. The Department states the removed vessels "do not warrant control under the ITAR" and is separately soliciting comments on further refining UUV controls and license exemptions.

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition requested ITAC, under section 16(1)(d)(i) of the International Trade Administration Act (Act No. 71 of 2002), to review the tariff structure — including relevant trade remedy measures — for the paper and paper products sector and to investigate introducing an import surveillance system covering goods classifiable under Customs and Excise Act Chapters 48.01, 48.02, 48.03, 48.04, 48.05, 48.11, 48.18 and 48.23. The review was prompted by industry concerns over rising import penetration, declining print-paper demand, and rising input costs (electricity, transport) squeezing local pulp and paper producers, who have invested over R33 billion in the sector over the past seven years. ITAC has invited stakeholder comment via a questionnaire, due within four weeks of the notice date; no tariff or surveillance measure has yet been adopted.

The US Department of Commerce issued a preliminary affirmative determination (case A-570-228) that tin mill products from China are being sold in the US at less than fair value, finding a China-wide dumping margin of 136.52% based on adverse facts available (no Chinese producer/exporter responded to the investigation), adjusted to a 130.17% cash deposit rate after offsetting the parallel countervailing-duty determination. Commerce also made a preliminary affirmative finding of critical circumstances, extending provisional measures and cash-deposit collection retroactively. The investigation was petitioned by United States Steel Corporation and the United Steelworkers union; final determinations are scheduled for around 1 December 2026.

On 14-16 September 2026 in Seoul, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources hosted the first Korea-Central Asia (C5+1) Industry Ministers' Meeting and Business Summit with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, establishing a standing multilateral ministerial consultation channel. Nine bilateral and multilateral government cooperation documents were signed alongside 116 business-level MOUs, including a Korea-Uzbekistan critical-minerals platform MOU and a Korea-Uzbekistan MOU on AI-driven manufacturing innovation tied to ODA projects. Named strategic materials span lithium, uranium and rare earths; other bilateral documents cover crude oil and nuclear energy (Kazakhstan), a revised trade/investment framework (Kyrgyzstan), industrial cooperation (Tajikistan) and chemical-industry cooperation (Turkmenistan). No financial commitments were disclosed.

On 15 September 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted Decision (CFSP) 2026/2103, amending Article 6 of Decision 2014/145/CFSP to extend the individual-listings sanctions regime (asset freeze / travel ban on those responsible for undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence) by only seven days, to 22 September 2026, rather than the customary six-month renewal. EU ambassadors (Coreper) failed to reach consensus on the full six-month renewal on 14-15 September 2026 after France and Slovakia demanded the delisting of Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Alisher Usmanov, forcing a short bridging extension to allow further consultations. The decision itself makes no change to the underlying 132-individual / 77-entity listing set established by the prior six-month renewal (Decision (CFSP) 2026/696 of 14 March 2026); it is a pure continuity measure pending the full renewal decision.

The US Department of Commerce issued a preliminary affirmative countervailing duty determination (case C-570-229) finding that producers/exporters of tin mill products from China received countervailable subsidies at a rate of 66.61% ad valorem, applied both to the individually-examined respondents (Shougang Holding Trade (Hong Kong) Ltd. and Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co. Ltd.) and to the all-others rate, based on facts available with adverse inferences after non-cooperation. Commerce also made a preliminary affirmative finding of critical circumstances, and directed CBP to suspend liquidation and collect cash deposits on entries from the date of publication. The final CVD determination is aligned to issue alongside the companion antidumping determination, currently scheduled no later than 2026-11-30.

On 14 September 2026 the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation (reference C(2026)6323) amending Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2021/821 to add newly-controlled dual-use items implementing the 2025 multilateral cycle of the Wassenaar Arrangement, MTCR, Australia Group, and NSG. New entries include semiconductor fabrication equipment (atomic layer deposition, EUV inspection systems, wafer cleaning), advanced computing ICs with digital processing units, ceramic matrix composites, additive-manufacturing systems for energetic materials, and chemical vapor deposition equipment for silicon carbide fibre production. The regulation is not yet in force: it now enters the standard two-month European Parliament/Council non-objection scrutiny period before publication in the Official Journal.

On 14 September 2026 the European Commission approved a EUR 52 million (RON 277 million) Romanian State aid scheme, under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework (METSAF, adopted 29 April 2026), compensating cattle farmers for increased fuel and fertiliser costs. Aid is disbursed as direct grants capped at EUR 50,000 per beneficiary company, assessed under Article 107(3)(c) TFEU and Sections 1 and 2.1 of METSAF. The scheme runs until 31 December 2026.

On September 14, 2026, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated VTB Bank Public Joint Stock Company under Executive Order 13902 (Iran financial-sector sanctions), citing correspondent banking relationships VTB built with sanctioned Iranian financial institutions and settlement systems VTB created for bilateral rial/ruble trade that Treasury says moved frozen Iranian assets. VTB was already designated under EO 13662 (2025) and EO 14024 (2022) for Russia-related conduct; this action adds an Iran-sanctions legal basis and SDN listing, part of the broader "Operation Economic Outcast" campaign Secretary Bessent announced August 24, 2026. No specific dollar figure for the moved assets was disclosed.

The US Department of State amends 22 CFR §126.1 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to extend the suspension of the Republic of Cyprus's status as a proscribed destination for defense exports, imports and sales for a further one-year period, from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The rule continues the current policy that originally lifted the arms embargo to Cyprus effective October 1, 2022, and has been renewed annually since. No new relief or restriction is introduced; the suspension is extended on its existing terms.

On 9 September 2026 the UK Export Control Joint Unit published Notice to Exporters 2026/19, revoking and replacing the Open General Licence (Global Combat Air Programme) and issuing a new Open General Export Licence for "de minimis" exports under the UK-France-Germany-Spain Agreement on Defence Export Controls (published 10 December 2025). The new OGEL implements the Agreement's de-minimis principle: where UK-origin content does not exceed 20% of the value of a final defence system integrated by France, Germany or Spain, re-export/re-transfer authorisation is granted without case-by-case licensing, subject to a national-security carve-out. Both licences remove individual application requirements for a defined category of collaborative defence-programme exports rather than introducing new restrictions.

On 9 September 2026 President Trump signed five proclamations under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 responding to Canada's 8 September 2026 retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20bn of US exports (steel, dairy, agricultural equipment). The proclamations impose outright import bans on certain Canadian alcoholic-beverage and dairy products that had been subject to the 50% Section 338 duties imposed 22 August 2026 (following Canada's continued discrimination against US alcohol and dairy commerce), and separately exclude certain Canadian motor-vehicle-sector products from importation for the same reason. The proclamations also modify the product scope of the July 20, 2026 Section 338 tariff actions, removing items such as rock salt and cement and adding others, including all-terrain vehicles and additional dairy products. The import bans take effect 29 September 2026; the product-list modifications take effect 15 September 2026. The duties/bans apply regardless of USMCA origin and stack on top of Section 232 tariffs.

On 8 September 2026 President Trump signed an Executive Order, "Adjusting Certain Delegations Under the Defense Production Act," amending EO 13603 (National Defense Resources Preparedness) to split energy-related Defense Production Act authorities that had been held solely by the Secretary of Energy, giving the Secretary of the Interior independent authority over energy matters within Interior's purview. Disputes between the two Secretaries are routed to the National Energy Dominance Council (and, where national-security infrastructure is implicated, jointly to the National Security Council). The order additionally delegates DPA Section 101(c)(1)-(2) authority to the Secretaries of the Interior, Commerce, and Energy, each empowered to exercise it independently of the others. This is a second EO with the same title as the March 13, 2026 order (EO 14391), further reallocating the same delegation structure rather than replacing it outright.

The European Commission approved a €400 million German measure in favour of Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH under EU State aid rules, structured as public service compensation for a service of general economic interest (SGEI) to strengthen the resilience of German/EU insulin supply against production and shortage risk. As its public service obligation, Sanofi must build a new insulin factory at its Industriepark Frankfurt-Höchst site by 31 December 2032 and maintain annual production of at least 1.1 tonnes of insulins there through 31 December 2042.

On 7 September 2026 the UK made the Iran (Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/983), laid before Parliament 8 September 2026 and due to come into force 29 September 2026. The instrument substantially rewrites the Iran (Sanctions) Regulations 2023 and the Iran (Sanctions) Regulations 2019, adding new financial restrictions (bans on loans, credit and joint ventures with Iranian manufacturing, oil/gas, petrochemical and uranium interests; a ban on UK banks opening accounts or representative offices for Iranian banks; an insurance/reinsurance ban; a ban on trading Iranian government bonds issued after the regulation date), new trade-control chapters covering gold/precious metals/diamonds, energy-related goods and services, and sectoral software, new import bans on Iranian gold, oil, petrochemicals and natural gas, and new aircraft/shipping parts restricting Iranian cargo flights, chartering of specified vessels, and UK port entry and ship registration for sanctions-evading vessels.

Commerce initiated periodic administrative reviews of antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders with July anniversary dates, following timely requests under 19 CFR 351.213(b). Among the named respondents are JFE Steel Corporation and Nippon Steel Corporation (Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products from Japan, A-588-873), POSCO and Hyundai Steel Company (Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from South Korea, A-580-878/C-580-879), China Steel Corporation (Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from Taiwan, A-583-856), Interpipe entities (Oil Country Tubular Goods from Ukraine, A-823-815), and Goodluck India Limited and Tube Investments of India Ltd. (Cold-Drawn Mechanical Tubing from India, A-533-873). The notice also covers unrelated AD/CVD orders on goods including pasta, mattresses, citric acid, paper shopping bags, tires and PET film from other countries. Review periods are predominantly 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026; Commerce intends to issue final results no later than 31 July 2027. This is a review of existing orders, not a new duty — current cash-deposit rates continue unchanged pending the review's outcome.

President Trump signed an executive order on 4 September 2026 directing the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritise Packers and Stockyards Act enforcement against concentrated meat-packer buying power (the four largest beef packers control ~85% of purchases, up from 36% four decades ago), modernise meat-inspection rules to lower processing costs, expand interstate shipment of state-inspected meat via a new USDA coordinator role, and establish a "Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers" guaranteed loan program for small and regional beef processors. The order sets 60-day reporting deadlines for USDA but does not itself appropriate or specify a dollar figure for the new loan program.

On September 4, 2026, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Istanbul-based Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi (Golden Global Bank) and two affiliates — Golden Global Portfoy Yonetimi Anonim Sirketi and Golden Global Varlik Kiralama Anonim Sirketi — to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List under Iran sanctions authorities. Treasury said the bank facilitated tens of millions of dollars in transactions for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), giving the Iranian regime correspondent banking access to move funds internationally through the Turkish financial system. OFAC concurrently issued Iran General License CC, authorizing a wind-down of transactions involving the newly blocked persons. The Federal Register formally published GL CC — alongside GL DD, a separate Iran civil-aviation wind-down license issued September 8 — on September 11, 2026.

On 4 September 2026, OFAC issued Iran General License CC, authorizing wind-down of transactions involving Golden Global Yatırım Bankası, Golden Global Varlık Kiralama, and Golden Global Portföy Yönetimi (three linked Istanbul financial entities blocked the same day under E.O. 13902), through 12:01 a.m. EDT on 19 September 2026. On 8 September 2026, following SDN designation of 34 entities and one individual — chiefly Iranian passenger airlines (Air Shiraz, ATA Airlines, Iran Air Tour, Iran Aseman, Mahan-network carriers among others) and their UAE/UK/Malaysia/Kazakhstan support entities — and suspension of Iran General License J-1 (which had authorized reexport of civil aircraft to Iran), OFAC issued General License DD, authorizing wind-down of civil-aviation-related and other transactions previously authorized under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, through 12:01 a.m. ET on 23 September 2026. Both licenses were formally published in the Federal Register on 11 September 2026. Neither license relaxes the underlying restrictions; both are time-limited exit ramps administering an already-restrictive posture.

Following concurrent first five-year ("sunset") reviews, the US Department of Commerce and USITC determined that revoking the antidumping duty orders on silicon metal from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Malaysia, and the countervailing duty order on silicon metal from Kazakhstan, would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping, countervailable subsidies and material injury to the US industry. Commerce published continuation of all four orders effective 2026-09-03, so US Customs and Border Protection keeps collecting AD/CVD cash deposits at the existing rates — Kazakhstan's 120.00% economy-wide CVD rate, Bosnia and Herzegovina's 21.41% AD rate, Iceland's 37.83%-47.54% AD range, and Malaysia's 12.27% final AD rate — for a further five years absent a subsequent review.

On September 2, 2026, OFAC amended its Venezuela minerals-sector general licenses to bring coal within their scope and to name a second Venezuelan state-owned company, Carbones del Zulia S.A. ("Carbozulia"), alongside the existing mining SOE CVG Compañía General de Minería de Venezuela C.A. ("Minerven"). GL 51D (supersedes 51C, dated August 27, 2026) authorizes export, sale, purchase and transport of Venezuelan-origin coal or minerals, including gold; GL 54C (supersedes 54B) authorizes supply of goods, technology and services to coal-or-minerals operations; and new GL 55A authorizes negotiating and entering contingent contracts (bids, MOUs, agreements in principle) for coal-or-minerals investment, each contract conditioned on separate OFAC authorization before execution. OFAC also amended FAQ 1247. All three licenses remain conditioned on US/UK/France/Singapore dispute-resolution forum selection, routing of blocked-person payments into the Foreign Government Deposit Funds established by Executive Order 14373, and continue to exclude Russia-, Iran-, North Korea-, Cuba- and China-linked counterparties.

On 1 September 2026 the European Commission approved a EUR 30 million Portuguese State aid scheme, under the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework (METSAF, adopted 29 April 2026), compensating agricultural, fishery and aquaculture businesses for increased fuel and fertiliser costs. Fishing and aquaculture operators receive direct grants of EUR 0.10 per litre of marine diesel consumed between 1 April and 30 June 2026; agricultural beneficiaries receive payments scaled to farm size and livestock numbers to offset higher fertiliser costs. Individual beneficiaries are capped at EUR 50,000 and the scheme runs until 31 December 2026.

On 1 September 2026 the European Commission published a notice of initiation of a partial interim review of the anti-dumping measures in force since 2022 on imports of silicon metal originating in China, following a request lodged 8 July 2026 by Euroalliages on behalf of the Union silicon industry. Euroalliages argues that Chinese production overcapacity has grown "massive" and export prices have fallen further since the original investigation, such that the current duties no longer offset the dumping margin. The review investigation period runs from July 2025 to June 2026; the existing duties remain in force and uncollected/undetermined pending the outcome.

The European Commission approved, under EU State aid rules, a German capacity mechanism authorising up to EUR 35.2 billion in support for electricity generation, storage and demand-side flexibility capacity through 2045. The scheme is technology-neutral, allocates support via competitive auctions (first auction 8 September 2026, 15-year contracts, delivery from 2031), and requires new gas-fired plants to be hydrogen-capable and to reach climate-neutral operation by 2045 at the latest. The Commission estimates annual scheme cost at EUR 1-3 billion in 2031 and EUR 0.9-2.3 billion per year from 2032-2045.

The US Department of State published an interim final rule removing from the US Munitions List (USML) certain civil aircraft modified to incorporate aircraft survivability equipment (ASE) — directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) and the missile-warning systems that operate them, used to protect aircraft from MANPADS and other guided-weapon threats. Qualifying aircraft (FAA- or allied-NATO-certificated transport/commuter types before modification) move from State/ITAR licensing jurisdiction to the less restrictive Commerce/EAR regime under ECCN 9A991.b. The rule also excludes certain reexport and temporary-import activities involving such ASE from ITAR licensing requirements entirely. Effective October 13, 2026, with public comments accepted through September 28, 2026.

The US Department of State extended, through 30 August 2028, a standing temporary modification of Category XI(b) of the US Munitions List (USML) — the ITAR category covering electronic systems and software specially designed for collecting, surveying, monitoring or exploiting the electromagnetic spectrum for intelligence purposes. The modification reinstates pre-30-December-2014 control scope by reinserting the phrase "analyze and produce information from" and adding software to the Category XI(b) description, after a 2014 USML revision was read by some exporters as narrowing coverage of intelligence-analytics software. This is the latest in a chain of extensions dating to the original July 2014 rule (79 FR 37536), most recently extended through August 2026 (86 FR 48021); no new items are added to or removed from the Munitions List by this action.

Canada's Department of Finance published an updated list of over 700 US-origin products subject to counter-tariffs effective 2026-09-08, covering CA$27.6 billion of US imports across steel, aluminium, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp/paper and electronics. Rates (15%, 25% or 50% depending on product) are matched dollar-for-dollar to the corresponding US Section 338/232 tariffs on the same goods, explicitly countering the United States' 22 August 2026 decision to impose a 50% tariff on CA$27.6 billion of Canadian goods. Steel and aluminium flat-rolled products carry the top 50% counter-rate.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a final rule (FR Doc. 2026-17231) removing two Hong Kong Science Park / Kwai Chung addresses from the Entity List entry for Arrow Electronics (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. under the destination of China. The Hong Kong entity itself remains listed; only the two named addresses are dropped as recognized locations for that entry. Effective August 21, 2026. This is the second narrowing of the Arrow Electronics Entity List footprint in under a year, following the November 2025 removal of Arrow China Electronics Trading Co., Ltd. and six aliases.

On 24 August 2026, the Director of OFAC, in consultation with the Department of State and pursuant to 31 CFR 560.802, determined that section 1(a)(i) of Executive Order 13902 shall apply to the aviation, digital asset, gold, shipping, and technology sectors of the Iranian economy, effective the same day and formally published in the Federal Register on 27 August 2026 (FR Doc 2026-17487). The determination — part of a Treasury campaign publicly branded "Operation Economic Outcast" — exposes any person operating in, or knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the sale, supply, or transfer of significant goods or services to or from, these five sectors to secondary-sanctions and SDN-listing risk under E.O. 13902, and extends potential correspondent/ payable-through account restrictions to foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate such transactions. OFAC did not publish sector definitions and concurrently suspended several general licenses covering educational exchange, personal remittance, conference, and academic/ sports-exchange activity with Iran (administered separately via GL AA and GL BB, wind-down through 8 September 2026).

On 24 August 2026, OFAC issued two Iran-related general licenses (GL AA and GL BB), formally published in the Federal Register on 27 August 2026. GL AA authorizes wind-down of transactions and maintenance of operations involving La Nivernaise De Raffinage SAS (a French entity) and any entity in which it owns a 50%-or-greater interest, through 12:01 a.m. EDT, 23 October 2026 — an orderly-exit carve-out tied to exposure under Executive Order 13902. GL BB separately authorizes, through 12:01 a.m. EDT, 8 September 2026, wind-down of transactions previously authorized under five narrower general licenses/regulations covering educational activities, personal remittances, conference-related services, and academic/sports exchanges with Iran. Both are narrow, time-limited carve-outs administering an underlying restrictive sanctions posture, not a relaxation of policy.