Korean anode materials makers are accelerating plans to localise synthetic graphite as a U.S. route for Chinese graphite shifts from high tariffs to tax credit eligibility requirements. With capacity expansions and long-term supply contracts largely concentrated in 2027, domestic cell makers have limited options to replace Chinese materials before then. Import prices have fallen, but U.S. 45X rules on prohibited foreign entities tighten from 2026.

The U.S. Treasury Department\'s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on two Iran-linked cryptocurrency exchanges and one individual. The U.S. government judged they helped launder $5 million in digital assets connected to Iran. The sanctioned entities are Selbit, Avan Tether and Iranian national Siavash Kaivanpour. OFAC said the exchanges supported illicit cryptocurrency activity and sanctions evasion, with proceeds used to support Iran\'s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.