The U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Individuals and Entities in Syria

On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on five individuals and five Syrian entities for allegedly supporting Bashar al-Assad's government in its violence against the Syrian people. This coincides with the start of a new round of peace talks between the government and opposition in Geneva. According to Reuters, one of the individuals sanctioned on Tuesday is Mohammad Abbas, a relative of Rami Makhlouf, a wealthy Syrian businessman and a close relative of Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. sanctioned Rami Makhlouf in 2008 for financial corruption and ties to the Syrian government. Before the war in Syria, Rami Makhlouf owned Syria's largest mobile phone company, Syriatel. The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned the Al-Bustan Charity Foundation and its director, stating that the foundation is run by Rami Makhlouf. Additionally, the Treasury sanctioned Iyad and Ehab Makhlouf, Rami's two brothers, claiming they assisted Bashar al-Assad's government in circumventing sanctions. According to the U.S. Treasury, the assets of these individuals and entities in the U.S. will be blocked and U.S. citizens are prohibited from dealing with them. Earlier this year, in early April, the U.S. sanctioned 271 individuals in Syria related to chemical weapons production. Meanwhile, the United Nations announced on Tuesday that a new round of indirect negotiations between representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition has begun in Geneva. According to Al Jazeera, while the sixth round of these negotiations has started, no significant outcomes are expected. The previous five rounds of negotiations did not yield substantial progress toward a political solution in Syria. According to the report, Stefan de Mistura, the UN envoy for Syria, initially met with Bashar Jaafari, head of the Syrian government delegation, on Tuesday. Following his meeting with Jaafari, he also met with representatives of the High Negotiations Committee, the delegation of the Syrian opposition groups. The peace talks in Geneva are held under the supervision of the UN based on Security Council Resolution 2254, addressing issues such as governance, the constitution, elections, and the fight against terrorism. The Syrian civil war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of displaced persons. In this context, the U.S. accused the Syrian government of mass killings and burning the bodies of opponents.