US imposes sanctions on Syrian president's son, 9 other entities

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced the sanctions on Wednesday, further targeting nine entities in addition to Hafez al-Assad, the president's eldest son born in 2001. "These targets consisted of individuals and entities who are actively supporting" Assad, alleged the statement. The treasury further undermined the country's fight against terrorists, many backed by the US, blaming Damascus for the economic situation in Syria. "Bashar al-Assad and his business associates are complicit in destroying Syria’s economy––they squander tens of millions of dollars each month to wage war against the Syrian people instead of providing for their basic needs," claimed the statement. Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin went even further accusing the government of cracking down on its own people, totally disregarding the repercussions of US military adventurism in Syria. “While corrupt businessmen with ties to Assad invest in luxury real estate made possible by forced displacement of innocent civilians, they also worsen the oppression of the Syrian people,” Mnuchin said. “The United States remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, while the Assad regime seeks to profit from their suffering.” A military coalition, led by the US, has been conducting purported airstrikes against what are said to be Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a United Nations mandate.Source: Press TV