The United States has announced new sanctions against Syria as part of measures to impose more pressure on Damascus as the Arab country is achieving more victories against foreign-backed militants.
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The sanctions Washington imposed on Wednesday penalize 39 companies and individuals, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma - the first time she has been hit by US sanctions.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Wednesday that the US will impose "many more sanctions" against the Syrian government under a new law.
The new travel restrictions and financial sanctions are imposed under a new law known as the so-called Caesar Act, which was signed by President Donald Trump in December.
The US and European Union had already imposed sanctions on Syria, freezing the assets of the state and hundreds of firms and individuals.
But the new measures can freeze the assets of anyone dealing with Damascus, regardless of nationality, and target many more sectors.
Some say the sanctions would deny the Syrian people access to key medicine and other vital goods and services.
Russia and China censured the US for imposing sweeping economic sanctions against Syria after US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said at a Security Council meeting on Tuesday that the measures are aimed to prevent Damascus from achieving victory in the fight against foreign-backed militants.
Addressing the meeting via video link, Syria’s UN Ambassador Bashar al-Ja’afari also said blockade and sanctions are part of “the Western blind traditional polices and the other face of terrorism that shed the blood of the Syrians.” The Syrian diplomat added that the measures are of the same type of terrorism that shed the blood of the Syrian people.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also condemned the sanctions as violation of international laws and norms, adding that Damascus will not allow Washington to revive its failed plan in the Arab country.
In an interview with Russia’s Sputnik news agency on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif raised the alarm at Washington’s attempts to step up its economic pressure on Syria, saying the Americans are doing their best to destabilize region.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding the Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.
The government forces have already managed to undo militant gains across the country and bring back almost all of Syrian soil under government control.
The government gains in Syria have enraged the US, which has long been collaborating with anti-Damascus militants and stealing Syria’s crude resources.
