US imposes harshest sanctions against Syria on Wednesday

On Wednesday, the United States imposed its harshest sanctions against Syria aimed at withholding revenues from the country’s authorities led by President Bashar al-Assad, to prevent him from achieving a “military victory” in the war that has continued since 2011.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Kraft, told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the United States will implement the so-called “Caesar Act to protect civilians in Syria”, which U.S. President Donald Trump signed on December 20, 2019, and aims to deter “bad parties that continue to help and finance the atrocities of the Assad regime against the Syrian people while they simply achieve wealth for themselves,” according to the text of the legislation.

Kraft said the U.S. government will impose its new sanctions on Syria “in order to prevent the Assad regime from achieving a military victory.”

“Our goal is to deprive the Assad regime of the revenue and support it used to commit widespread atrocities and human rights violations that prevent a political solution and seriously reduce the prospects for peace,” Kraft added.

Russia, China and Syria have strongly criticized the U.S. plan to impose more sanctions unilaterally, especially at a time when the Arab country is going through a severe economic crisis.

Russia’s delegate to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, said that the United States reaffirmed that “the purpose of these measures is to overthrow the legitimate authorities in Syria,” stressing that the new sanctions “will strike ordinary civilians.”

In turn, China’s delegate to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said that the U.S. is taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis to further harm Syria for the purpose of regime change.