U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday ordered sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his deputy, the prime minister and several other senior government officials.
Obama said in his executive order that the additional steps were taken in response to Syrian government's "continuing escalation of violence against the people of Syria -- including through attacks on protesters, arrests and harassment of protesters and political activists, and repression of democratic change, overseen and
executed by numerous elements of the Syrian government."
Under his order, Syrian President al-Assad, Vice President Farouk al-Shara, Prime Minister Adel Safar,Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, Defence Minister Ali Habib Mahmoud, Head of Syrian Military Intelligence Abdul Fatah Qudsiya and Director of Political Security Directorate Mohammed Dib Zaitoun are put under U.S. sanctions effective on Wednesday noon, under which their assets on U.S. soil are frozen.
Obama also authorized his secretaries of treasury and state to target more senior Syrian officials and entities for sanctions.
"The actions the administration has taken today send an unequivocal message to President al-Assad, the Syrian leadership and regime insiders that they will be held accountable for the ongoing violence and repression in Syria," said Acting Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.
"President al-Assad and his regime must immediately end the use of violence, answer the calls of the Syrian people for a more representative government, and embark upon the path of meaningful democratic reform."
In another development, the Department of Treasury on Wednesday targeted six other individuals and entities for sanctions with a view to "exposing further the complicity of Syrian government officials in the human rights
abuses and repression of the Syrian people."
Among them are Hafiz Makhluf, President al-Assad's cousin, Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), and Mohsen Chizari, commander of IRGC-QF Operations and Training.
The three entities are Syrian Military Intelligence, Syrian National Security Bureau and Syrian Air Force Intelligence.
In addition, the Treasury targeted three companies and one corporate official for ties to public corruption in Syria. It said Cham Holding and its Chairman Nabil Rafik al Kuzbari, Bena Properties and Al Mashreq Investment Fund are all owned or controlled by, or acting for Rami Makhlouf, a powerful Syrian businessman and regime insider who was designated by the department in February 2008 for "improperly benefiting from and aiding the public corruption of Syrian regime officials."
On April 29, Obama put al-Assad's brother Mahir and cousin Atif Najib under sanctions along with Ali Mamluk, director of Syria's General Intelligence Directorate (GID), the GID and the IRGC-QF for their role in violence against protesters in Syria.
Syria has sent troops and tanks in many cities to quell unprecedented violence that coupled with anti-government protests. Syria blamed the unrest on armed terrorist groups and foreign conspiracy.
The additional U.S. sanctions came one day before Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech on the events in the Middle East and North Africa and U.S. policy in the region.