Biden administration uses Caesar Act for second time to sanction Assad cronies
“Bashar al-Assad’s regime continues to rely on witting partners and deception to violate US, UK, and EU sanctions, while ignoring the needs of the Syrian people,” a senior Treasury Department official said.
The US issued new Syria-related sanctions on Tuesday, targeting individuals and companies for circumventing sanctions to help the Assad regime and its partners.
The latest sanctions against Syrian businessmen and companies came under the Caesar Act.
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Two Syrian money exchange companies that have secretly helped the Assad regime, Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), maintain access to the international financial system sanctioned, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
“Bashar al-Assad’s regime continues to rely on witting partners and deception to violate US, UK, and EU sanctions, while ignoring the needs of the Syrian people,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said. “The United States will continue to push for reforms that will improve the conditions of people living under Assad and to hold accountable those who enable the regime’s continued repression of its people.”
Tuesday’s action was only the second time the Biden administration had used the Caesar Act to issue Syria-related sanctions.
Republicans and other US officials have criticized the administration for what has been seen as an easing of pressure on Bashar al-Assad, which has pushed Arab countries to normalize ties with Damascus.
US officials have said their position has been made clear to Arab and Gulf partners that it will not normalize ties with the Assad regime absent real progress toward a political solution.
Read more: US floats sanctions warning as Arab isolation of Syria nears end
*The title of this article has been updated. US sanctions against China- and Mexico-based entities were also announced, but unrelated to Syria.
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