US puts 19 Indian firms on sanctions list, says helped Russia with materials, tech

WASHINGTON, Oct 31: Adding a new stress point to bilateral ties, the United States Wednesday put 19 private firms from India and two Indian nationals on a list of “nearly 400 entities and individuals” from several countries that will face sanctions for their alleged role in aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

This is not the first time that Indian firms have been targeted by US sanctions, but the latest move was the “most concerted push so far against third-country evasion”, said a US State Department official.

The US action comes at a time when bilateral ties with India are already under stress over allegations of an Indian national’s role in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.
Raising the stakes last week, the US said it would not be fully satisfied until there is “meaningful accountability” resulting from India’s investigations into the alleged plot that failed.

On Wednesday, while announcing the sanctions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the State Department said: “The United States is today sanctioning nearly 400 entities and individuals for enabling Russia’s prosecution of its illegal war. In this action, the Department of State is imposing sanctions on more than 120 individuals and entities. Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating more than 270 individuals and entities. The Department of Commerce is also adding 40 entities to its Entity List.”

It said the move aims to disrupt sanctions evasion and target entities in multiple countries, including China, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and the UAE, apart from India, for selling “items and other important dual-use goods to Russia, including critical components that Russia relies on for its weapons systems to wage war against Ukraine”.

“Those items include microelectronics and computer numerical control items (CNC) on the Common High Priority List (CHPL), as identified by the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) alongside the European Union (EU), United Kingdom (UK), and Japan,” it said.

“The United States will continue to use all tools at its disposal to disrupt support for Russia’s military-industrial base and curtail the Kremlin’s ability to exploit the international financial system and generate revenue in furtherance of its war against Ukraine…the Department seeks to disrupt the networks and channels through which Russia procures technology and equipment from entities in third countries to support its war effort,” it said.

The US State Department also detailed the charges against four Indian firms on its list of 120: Ascend Aviation India, Mask Trans, TSMD Global and Futrevo.

It alleged that Ascend Aviation “sent over 700 shipments to Russia-based companies between March 2023 and March 2024”, including “over $200,000 worth of CHPL items, such as US-origin aircraft components” while naming the firm’s directors.

The State Department claimed that Mask Trans was “involved in the supply of over $300,000 worth of CHPL items such as aviation components to Russia-based and US-designated S 7 Engineering LLC from June 2023 to at least April 2024”.

The other two Indian firms were among those that were designated for allegedly “operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy”.

The State Department said “TSMD Global private limited is an India-based company that shipped at least $430,000 worth of CHPL items to Russia-based companies, including Electron Komponent and the US-designated companies: Limited Liability company VMK, Alfa limited liability company and joint stock company Avtovaz”.

It alleged that “these shipments, which occurred between July 2023 and March 2024, included US-and EU origin BIS CHPL Tier 1 and 2 items such as electronic integrated circuits, central processing units, and other fixed capacitors”.

The State Department accused Futrevo of being “involved in the supply of over $1.4 million worth of CHPL items such as electronic components to Russia-based and US-designated Limited Liability Company SMT-ILOGIC, the manufacturer of Orlan drones with Russia-based and US-designated Special Technology Center”. “The shipments were from January 2023 to at least February 2024,” it said.

The two Indian nationals sanctioned are Vivek Kumar Mishra and Sudhir Kumar, the directors of Delhi-based Ascend Aviation.

The US has targeted Indian firms earlier, too.

In November 2023, Si2 Microsystems was added to the restricted “Entities List” for supplying “US-origin integrated circuits” to the Russian military despite the transfers being banned after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, without the required licence.

In June, US Ambassador Eric Garcetti had said that any Indian company that violates global sanctions against Russia will have to be aware of the “consequences” they face when they are trying to do business with countries in Europe, and other US allies around the world.

US charges Indian agent in Sikh separatist murder plot

NEW YORK, Oct 18: The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer for allegedly directing a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen who advocates for Khalistan - an independent Sikh state that would be carved out of India.

The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said on Thursday that it had registered "murder-for-hire and money laundering charges" against Vikash Yadav for trying to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The indictment of Yadav, for the first time, implicates the Indian government directly in the attempted assassination of a dissident.

The Indian government has said it is co-operating with the ongoing investigation in the US. It has not responded to the specific charges against Mr Yadav yet.

The development comes after Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national also charged in the case, was extradited to the US from a prison in Prague earlier this year.

The FBI has accused Indian agents of involvement in an assassination attempt on Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen, saying Pannun was targeted for exercising his "First Amendment rights" to free speech.

“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights," said FBI director Christopher Wray in a statement.

India has labelled Pannun a terrorist, though he denies the allegation, claiming to be an activist advocating for Khalistan.

According to the US indictment, Yadav was the mastermind behind the plot to murder Pannun and he recruited Gupta in May 2023 to orchestrate the assassination in exchange for getting a case against him in India dismissed.

"In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav provided Gupta with personal information about the victim, including the victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the victim, and details about the victim’s day-to-day conduct," the indictment states.

On Thursday, India's foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that the individual referred to as "CC-1" in the US Justice Department's indictment is no longer employed by the Indian government.

However, he did not provide a specific name, leaving it unclear whether he was referring to Yadav, who is widely speculated to be the same person.

In response to Yadav's indictment, Pannun said the attempt on his life on American soil was a "blatant case of India's transnational terrorism, which has become a challenge to America's sovereignty and threat to freedom of speech and democracy."

Yadav's indictment comes days after the Canadian police and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, setting off a new row that led to both countries expelling diplomats.

India has rejected the allegations as "preposterous", accusing Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.

Earlier this week, the US State Department urged India to co-operate in Canada's investigation.

US To Send High-Altitude Anti-Missile System THAAD To Israel Amid West Asia Conflict

WASHINGTON, Oct 13: The Pentagon said Sunday it will deploy a high-altitude anti-missile system and its US military crew to Israel to help the ally protect itself from potential Iranian missile attacks.

At the direction of US President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1," Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Biden, Netanyahu Speak On Israel's Plans For Retaliation Against Iran

WASHINGTON, Oct 9: US President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and the two leaders were expected to discuss Israeli plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran.

The call was the leaders' first known chat since August and coincided with a sharp escalation of Israel's conflict with both Iran and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah with no sign of an imminent ceasefire to end the conflict with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.

The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel's response to a missile attack last week that Tehran carried out in retaliation for Israel's military escalation in Lebanon. The Iranian attack ultimately killed no one in Israel and Washington called it ineffective.

Netanyahu has promised that arch-foe Iran will pay for its missile attack, while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the oil-producing region which could draw in the United States.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have been tense, strained over the Israeli leader's handling of the war in Gaza and the conflict with Hezbollah.

In "War," a book out next week, journalist Bob Woodward reports that Biden regularly accused Netanyahu of having no strategy, and shouted "Bibi, what the fuck?" at him in July, after Israeli strikes near Beirut and in Iran.

Asked about the book, one US official familiar with the two leaders' past interactions said Biden has used sharp, direct, unfiltered and colorful language both with and about Netanyahu while in office.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant canceled a Wednesday visit to the Pentagon, the Pentagon said, as Israeli media reported Netanyahu wanted first to speak with Biden.

Tensions have increased in recent weeks as US officials were repeatedly blindsided by Israeli actions, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon that Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out.

Israel has also been slow to share details of its planning for retaliation against Iran's ballistic missile attack, the person said.

Biden has been hit by sharp criticism from international partners as well as members of his own Democratic Party over his inability to use leverage, including the US role as Israel's chief arms supplier, to curb Netanyahu's attacks.

By extension, Kamala Harris, Biden's vice president and the Democrats' presidential candidate in the Nov 5 election, has been challenged to defend the administration's policy on the campaign trail.

Many Arab American voters in Michigan, a key battleground state, are backing independent candidate Jill Stein instead, a move that could cost Democrats the state and perhaps the White House in a race with Republican former President Donald Trump that opinion polls show to be very tight.

Harris joined the call with Biden and Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Israel's retaliation is a key subject, with Washington hoping to weigh in on whether the response is appropriate, a separate person briefed on the discussions said.

No clear winner in VP debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance

WASHINGTON, Oct 2: Registered voters who watched Tuesday’s debate between vice presidential nominees Tim Walz and JD Vance were closely divided over which candidate did the better job, according to a CNN instant poll of debate watchers conducted by SSRS, and the event left viewers with more positive views of both candidates than they held pre-debate.

Among debate watchers, Walz remains the candidate who’s seen more positively and as more in touch with their needs and vision for the country. Vance, who suffers from more of an image deficit among both viewers and the public at large, boosted his standing among the debate audience, outperforming expectations and gaining ground on the share who perceive him as qualified.

He was also narrowly seen as doing a better job than Walz of defending his running mate. Both men, the poll finds, are viewed by a majority of debate watchers as qualified to assume the presidency if needed. And practically none of the voters who tuned in saw the debate as a reason to change their votes.

Following the debate, 51% of viewers said that Vance did the better job, with 49% picking Walz. In a survey conducted of the same voters prior to the debate, Walz held the advantage as the candidate they expected to perform more strongly, 54% to 45%.