Worldwide: Export Controls & Trade & Investment Sanctions

The automotive industry faces significant shifts as U.S.-Canada trade tensions escalate with proposed 50% tariffs, while Chinese automakers expand their European presence and domestic manufacturers navigate evolving market dynamics. How will these geopolitical pressures, combined with technological advances in autonomous vehicles and changing consumer preferences toward hybrids, reshape the competitive landscape for global automakers?

The U.S. government has taken significant steps to normalize trade and financial relations with Syria by rescinding its State Sponsor of Terrorism designation and delisting Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham from sanctions lists. While these actions mark progress toward Syria's economic reintegration, exporters and businesses must navigate remaining export control requirements under the EAR and ITAR, as well as persistent compliance obligations related to anti-boycott rules and sovereign immunity considerations.

President Trump escalates threats of renewed economic pressure against Iran as part of a broader effort to shift the facts on the ground in the Middle East amid stalled negotiations and a deadlocked conflict. The administration signals unprecedented sanctions measures while Iran maintains its strategy of imposing global economic costs via the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.