Worthy Christian News > World News > Syria: Trump administration imposes new sanctions on Assad and regime affiliates

Syria: Trump administration imposes new sanctions on Assad and regime affiliates

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The Trump administration slapped new sanctions on Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime Tuesday, in a further effort to end the civil war that has raged in Syria since 2011, the Sara Carter show (SCS) reported. Following sanctions imposed in 2019, the newest measures affect Syria’s central bank and a number of entities and individuals connected to Assad.

The catastrophic Syrian war has so far killed an estimated 593,000 people and almost razed the country to the ground. Moreover, millions of people have been displaced both inside the country and as a result of efforts to escape death and destruction by seeking refuge in other nations.

The new sanctions are being imposed by Executive Order 13894 and will target Assad’s wife, Asma al-Assad, in the first instance: according to the State Department, Mrs. Assad has been “impeding efforts to promote a political resolution of the Syrian conflict,” SCS reports. Members of Mrs. Assad’s family, including Fawaz Akhras, Sahar Otri Akhras, Firas al Akhras, and Eyad Akhras are also targeted in this latest round of measures.

In a statement about the sanctions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “The United States will continue to seek accountability for those prolonging [the conflict in Syria. The Assad regime, supported by its enablers and allies, refuses to end its needless, brutal war against the Syrian people, stalling efforts to reach a political resolution.” Moreover, the statement added: “The Assad and Akhras families have accumulated their ill-gotten riches at the expense of the Syrian people through their control over an extensive, illicit network with links in Europe, the Gulf, and elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Syrian people continue to wait in long lines for bread, fuel, and medicine as the Assad regime chooses to cut subsidies for these basic essentials that Syrians need.”

In addition, the US Treasury department is imposing sanctions both on the Central Bank of Syria and on Assad adviser Lina al-Kinayeh and her husband Mohammed Masouti, as well as on various businesses connected to the regime, SCS reports.