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US unveils new Syria sanctions targeting Assad’s British in-laws

The US administration has blacklisted the commander of Syria's military intelligence organization, a senior aide to President Bashar al-Assad and Assad's British in-laws.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (foregorund L), his wife Asma visit the exhibition dedicated to French painter Claude Monet at the Grand Palais on December 11, 2010 in Paris at the end of their official visit in France. AFP PHOTO MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP PHOTO / Miguel MEDINA        (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

The Trump administration issued a fresh round of sanctions on Syria Tuesday, targeting the country’s central bank, a close aide to the president and several of the first lady’s London-based relatives who Washington accuses of enabling the Syrian government. 

The new wave of sanctions is the latest US effort to hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his inner circle accountable for widely documented human rights violations and deprive the regime of the resources needed to continue perpetrating them. The Central Bank of Syria, which was already subject to US sanctions, was added to Treasury Department’s list of specially designated nationals on Tuesday for its “deep banking ties to Iran.” 

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