Washington has announced a ban on the import of new humanoid robots produced abroad into the US, with a primary focus on China, which is one of the world's leaders in this manufacturing sector. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) justified this decision by citing 'unacceptable risks' to US national security.
Beijing consistently rejects similar US measures as politically motivated. This move comes amid the escalating race between Washington and Beijing for dominance in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies. In recent years, both countries have increasingly imposed mutual restrictions on each other's technological sectors.
The newest restrictions apply to new foreign advanced robotic devices, including humanoid and quadruped robots, as well as power converters used in data centers and solar installations. The FCC stated that these products pose 'unacceptable risks' to US national security, asserting that they could allow foreign entities to conduct surveillance, steal data, provide remote access, or initiate cyberattacks. Existing models previously approved by the agency are exempt from this ban.
In recent years, Washington has intensified restrictions on Chinese technology. Since 2022, the US has gradually tightened export controls on advanced AI chips, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and related technologies, while simultaneously limiting American investment in China's AI and chip sectors. The White House has also taken action against vehicles, drones, and social media platforms linked to China, citing national security concerns and accusing them of intellectual property theft.
In response, Beijing has introduced export controls on critical minerals such as gallium, germanium, graphite, antimony, and rare earth elements, and has restricted the activities of some American firms like Micron, while subjecting certain Nvidia AI-related products to security reviews. Earlier this month, the White House and the American AI firm Anthropic accused the Chinese startup Moonshot AI of using 'distillation' to train its Kimi K3 model on American technologies. Moonshot denied these accusations, stating that the model's performance is due to its own technological innovations.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned last week that Chinese companies engaged in 'industrial distillation,' which constitutes intellectual property theft, could face sanctions. Earlier this week, Beijing called on the US to 'abandon its hegemonic thinking and stop maligning and threatening Chinese companies with sanctions,' promising to 'take all necessary measures' in response to any actions harming China's interests.
New regulations concerning the use of artificial intelligence technologies have come into effect in the European Union member states. Under these requirements, content that has been created or modified using AI must bear specific labeling in certain cases. Companies failing to comply with these rules may face fines reaching 15 million euros or 3% of their global annual turnover.
These new provisions, approved by the European Commission under the AI Act, aim to protect European citizens from various threats, including fraud, disinformation, consumer deception, and impersonation. The regulation obligates both developers and users of AI to ensure that citizens are fully aware when they are interacting with algorithms or viewing materials generated by neural networks.
In accordance with the effective rules, all services that produce or modify content—be it text, audio, video, or photographs—must integrate machine-readable tags for subsequent automatic detection. Special attention is paid to systems generating deepfakes of people, events, or objects, as well as those publishing material on socially significant topics without human editorial involvement; for such systems, the European Commission has developed an official set of three icons for visible labeling.
Labeling also extends to tools designed for appearance analysis and emotion recognition. Furthermore, there are specific requirements for direct communication: users must receive explicit notification that they are communicating with an AI, not a human being, when using chatbots, virtual assistants, or neural network avatars.
Oversight of compliance with these norms is entrusted to national supervisory authorities, as well as the European AI Office and the European Data Protection Inspector. When determining the size of sanctions for small and medium-sized enterprises, the principle of proportionality will be applied. To allow the market time to adapt, a grace period has been established: generative AI providers who released their products before August 2 must implement machine-readable labeling by December of this year. However, the mandatory application of retroactive labeling for existing deepfakes is currently advisory.
The new phase of enforcement is based on the guidance issued by the European Commission under Article 50 of the AI Act, as well as on the voluntary Code of Conduct adopted by over 180 organizations. The AI Act itself began to take effect on August 1, 2024, and is being implemented gradually: bans on the most dangerous AI practices were introduced earlier, while the regulation of high-risk systems is scheduled for late 2027 and 2028.
Representatives from Iran and Belarus discussed ways to develop scientific, technological, and innovative cooperation between Tehran and Minsk. Hossein Rouzbakhsh, head of the Organization for the Development of International Cooperation in Science and Technology, and Mohsen Omidzamani, the Iranian ambassador to Belarus, held talks to advance joint projects.
Rouzbakhsh emphasized the country's high potential, noting that the vice-presidency for science, technology, and knowledge-based economy is a key player in developing the knowledge-based economy in the region, boasting 11,000 knowledge-based companies. He added that this potential could form the basis for effective interaction with Belarus in various technological fields.
Since over a thousand Iranian knowledge-based companies export products to international markets, the official representative stated that expanding joint efforts between companies of both countries, implementing joint technological projects, and promoting technology transfer will be the main directions of cooperation.
Furthermore, Rouzbakhsh noted the strategic opportunity to utilize the potential of the Eurasian Economic Union to expand scientific and technical interaction. He added that leveraging the capabilities of EAEU member states, including Belarus, Russia, Armenia, and Uzbekistan, can promote technological cooperation, the creation of joint innovation networks, and the development of multilateral projects.
He called for resuming work on previous strategic memoranda of understanding, developing joint projects between scientific and technical centers, strengthening cooperation between universities, research centers, and knowledge-based companies, as well as creating sustainable mechanisms for partnership development. Other topics discussed included the exchange of scientific and technological delegations, inviting Belarusian specialists in science and technology to Iran, and conducting mutual visits.
For his part, Omidzamani proposed establishing an economic and technological attaché at the Iranian embassy in Belarus as an effective measure to accelerate relations between companies, scientific centers, and technological institutions in both countries. He noted that the ongoing expansion of economic ties and the prospect of a free trade agreement will open new opportunities for technological and commercial cooperation between Iran and Belarus. Moreover, Omidzamani highlighted Iran's valuable experience and opportunities in healthcare and tourism, stating that both nations can strengthen ties in these areas.
Officials agreed to develop a strategic roadmap for cooperation, emphasizing the need for constant consultations, utilizing the innovation and technology ecosystems of both countries, and expanding scientific and technical interaction within bilateral relations and the regional potential of Eurasia.
In June, Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simai-Sarraf and Chairman of the State Committee of Belarus for Science and Technology Denis Korzhitsky signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand educational, research, and technological cooperation. The MoU was signed at the 8th meeting of the Joint Belarusian-Iranian Commission for Cooperation in Science, Technology, and Higher Education, held in Minsk.
The Commission defined priority areas for the period 2026–2028: digital economy and artificial intelligence; innovative industrial technologies; biological and medical technologies; innovative solutions in the agro-industrial complex and food industry, as well as the development and deepening of the study of languages and literature of both countries.
In addition, both sides expressed readiness to hold a joint competition of scientific and technical projects during the 2026–2028 period. A meeting protocol was signed after discussions.
Before the meeting, the Minister of Education of Belarus, Andrey Ivanets, held talks with Simai-Sarraf. The official hoped that the meeting would serve as a basis for expanding scientific and technical cooperation between the two states.
The Iranian minister, in turn, stressed the strategic importance of the SCO and called for strengthening cooperation among member states in the technological sector to meet the common needs of each nation.
In May, Ivanets announced in a phone conversation with Simai-Sarraf his country's readiness to support scientific and educational ties with Iran. He expressed solidarity with the Iranians following attacks by the US and Israel on Iran and stated a willingness to expand cooperation through joint research projects and student exchanges.
Highlighting Iran's scientific capabilities, Simai-Sarraf noted that Iran's higher education system is primarily focused on developing technology and innovation, and the country currently has 160 science and technology parks operating. The official invited Ivanets to visit Iran to familiarize himself with the science and technology parks and universities, which would contribute to strengthening ties.
The Royan Institute and the National Biotechnology Center of Kazakhstan (NCB) explored opportunities to expand their joint activities, reaching an agreement to strengthen educational, research, and technological interaction, as well as to implement joint projects.
According to IRNA, representatives from both sides held an online meeting on Monday, which was attended by the Iranian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Ali-Akbar Jokar. During this meeting, Jokar emphasized the importance of developing scientific diplomacy between the two countries and detailed the potential for strategic partnership in the fields of science, education, and technology.
Directors of the Royan Institute presented information about the Institute's structure, achievements, and missions, and also reviewed the Institute's international scientific cooperation with countries such as Malaysia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Syria, and Northern Cyprus. Furthermore, they highlighted the benefits of participating in the West Asia and North Africa Science Network (WANA) as a platform for strengthening regional cooperation and establishing scientific ties between organizations.
The Royan Institute proposed starting cooperation by holding a joint scientific webinar, which was approved by the other party. For its part, Kazakh officials provided information about the structure of the NCB and its research priorities, announcing the center's readiness to develop joint research projects. The NCB plans to submit proposals for developing cooperation with the Royan Institute to the Iranian embassy in Kazakhstan.
Another part of the material mentions that in June, Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simai-Sarraf put forward three proposals to activate academic, research, and technological cooperation between universities of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.
Simai-Sarraf stated that universities are custodians of shaping the future of societies and face challenges such as updating curricula, practical application of research projects, and increasing the usefulness of dissertations for society. He noted that the SCO can serve as a platform for enhancing the academic capabilities of member states through an executive and problem-oriented network.
These remarks were made during the tenth meeting of SCO Education Ministers, which took place in Minsk, Belarus, on June 16 and 17. The delegation, led by the Minister of Science, participated in the event. To promote scientific interaction among SCO members, the minister proposed three directions. The first concerned 'exchange of elites and scientists'; within this framework, Iran is ready to provide 100 scholarships for postgraduate and doctoral students, as well as another 10 scholarships for postdoctoral fellows from SCO member states to conduct research on real regional problems under the guidance of professors.
The second proposal was the creation of a 'Shanghai Technological and Innovation University Network' with the support of leading universities and technology parks. According to Simai-Sarraf, this network will provide a basis for the commercialization of scientific achievements and strengthen ties between universities and industry. He also announced Iran's readiness to host the secretariat of this network.
The third proposal involved 'developing joint research consortia in the field of intelligent management of natural resources, especially water, artificial intelligence, and modern pharmaceutical technologies,' which is viewed as an effective strategy for improving the scientific competencies of SCO member states. The Minister added that universities should not just be centers of education but also carriers of rationality, entrepreneurship, hope, and international scientific cooperation. Leading Iranian universities, possessing all laboratory capacities, growth centers, and scientific capabilities, are ready to implement these programs in partnership with universities of SCO member states.
