Issue 342, April 23, 2002
Overall, the sanctions and embargos set forth by the U.S. Government are still in place, such as the embargos to Iran, Iraq, Libya, Cuba and Sudan, which still require an export license when shipping to those destinations.

However, as of late, the U.S. Government has subtly changed its posture toward shipping to some of these destinations. Historically, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has granted licenses on export shipments if the goods are humanitarian in nature. But, if the goods are food, medical apparatus/supplies, or pharmaceuticals and are destined for Iran, Cuba, Libya or Sudan, the license process has been extremely quick. There is even a new exception code in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) known as AGR. This code is used in conjunction with shipments of agricultural products to Cuba.

Another major change in the government's export policy has been with regard to shipments to Afghanistan. The original embargo against Afghanistan was always termed as "controlled by the Taliban". With the recent political changes in Afghanistan, OFAC has published a modification in the federal register to state that "...the Taliban controls no territory within Afghanistan." This would basically signal the end of any embargo to Afghanistan. However, it is prudent to keep in mind that the military actions still taking place there make shipping to this destination a logistical challenge.

If you would like to review the details of the current restrictions on shipping to these destinations, contact the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) at 202-482-4811 or OFAC at 202-622-2480.

Our contributing writer, Ken Hughes, is the Corporate Manager Export Compliance for Danzas AEI Intercontinental. Mr. Hughes can be reached in our Chicago office at via email or at 847-233-7923.

Please note that due to the complex nature of the subject matter, DHL Danzas Air & Ocean cannot be responsible for actions taken by the reader in reliance on the information contained herein without prior consultation with DHL Danzas Air & Ocean.