The United States on Wednesday blacklisted what it called “key enablers” of the Assad regime, reinforcing efforts to push Damascus back to United Nations-led negotiations to end Syria’s nearly decade-long civil war. Sanctions alone against Assad will not do the job. The U.S. or Israel must begin bombing his military infrastructure to bring him down to his begging knees.
In a fresh round of sanctions aimed at cutting off revenue for Assad’s government, the United States imposed sanctions on 13 entities and six individuals. They include the governor of the Central Bank of Syria,
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement:
The United States will continue to employ all of its tools and authorities to target the finances of anyone who profits from or facilitates the Assad regime’s abuse of the Syrian people,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
BACK TO RESOLUTION 2254
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo separately warned that the targeting of officials, commanders and “corrupt business leaders will not cease until the Assad regime and its enablers take irreversible steps to end their campaign of violence against the Syrian people”. He added that these sanctions are genuinely intended to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.
Washington also blacklisted the head of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, the Syrian Ministry of Tourism and a Syrian businessman, Khodr Taher Bin Ali. The Treasury said he was connected to the Assad regime, as well as his network of businesses.
The Treasury authorized until Dec. 30 transactions and activities necessary for the winding down of business with Emma Tel LLC. Taher Bin Ali founded Emma Tel LLC.
Wednesday’s action freezes any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
Further, the State Department imposed sanctions on the commander of the 5th Corps of the Syrian Arab Army. It accused Milad Jedid of preventing a ceasefire in the country.
Syria has been under U.S. and European Union sanctions that have frozen the assets of the state and hundreds of companies and individuals. Washington already bans exports to Syria and investment there by Americans, as well as transactions involving oil and hydrocarbon products.
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