On November 13, 2025, the United States and the Republic of El Salvador entered a framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade. The Agreement aims to strengthen the countries’ economic partnership established in 2006 under the Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement (“CAFTA-DR”). The framework agreement is one of several reached by the
Federal Government Issues Tri-Seal Advisory on Sanctions and Export Controls Relief for Syria
By Maryam Mahboob on
On November 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, issued a Tri-Seal Advisory on sanctions and export controls relief for Syria.
The advisory provides that the United States no longer imposes comprehensive sanctions on Syria and that the…
President Trump Issues Executive Order Exempting Various Agricultural Products from the Reciprocal Tariff Regime
On November 14, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order exempting various agricultural products from the reciprocal tariff regime established under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). Listed in Annex I of the executive order by their tariff codes within the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”), these agricultural products include…
United States, Switzerland and Liechtenstein Agree to Framework Agreement on Reciprocal Trade
On November 14, 2025, the United States, the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland), and the Principality of Liechtenstein (Liechtenstein) agreed to a framework for negotiations on an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade. While representatives from the three countries continue to negotiate the formal agreement and hope to conclude any agreement during the first quarter of 2026, the key…
White House Announces Details on U.S.-South Korea Trade Deal
- Rebuilding and Expanding Critical Industries – South Korea will make investments into various sectors of the U.S. economy, including,
OFAC Issues New and Amended Russia-related General Licenses
- Russia-related General License 124B, “Authorizing Petroleum Services and Other Transactions Related to the
USTR Announces One-Year Suspension of Section 301 Countermeasures Targeting China’s Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors
By Aaron C. Mandelbaum & David M. Schwartz on
On November 13, 2025, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing a nearly one-year suspension—until November 10, 2026—of countermeasures it imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, on Chinese vessels and maritime transport operations. Section 301 authorizes the USTR to investigate…
DOJ Announces Charges for False Country-of-Origin Claims and Tariff Evasion Through Undervaluation
By Francesca M.S. Guerrero on
Key Notes
- Tariff undervaluation may result in criminal charges.
- False country of origin may result in government procurement-related fraud charges, not only tariff-related fraud charges.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) in September announced the unsealing of an indictment charging two Colorado companies and three executives with a multiyear scheme to sell Chinese made forklifts to…
Trump’s Emergency Tariffs Face Scrutiny—and Skepticism—at the Supreme Court
On November 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a high-profile consolidated appeal challenging whether President Donald Trump lawfully invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) to impose tariffs. The cases challenge two sets of tariffs Trump implemented earlier this year: (1) tariffs against Canada, China, and Mexico in response to…
DDTC Amends ITAR to Remove Arms Embargo on Cambodia
On November 7, 2025, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) issued a Final Rule amending 22 C.F.R. § 126.1 to remove the Kingdom of Cambodia as a proscribed country under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Effective immediately, requests for the export of defense articles and services to Cambodia will now…