US sets new sanctions on Syria

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on seven overseas companies and four individuals suspected of providing energy products to the Syrian government of Bashar Assad on Monday.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which oversees enforcement of American sanctions, said it has identified seven commercial ships owned or controlled by one of the newly sanctioned companies had been blocked by its action.

The affected companies operated in Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Lebanon, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis and the Marshall Islands.

“Many of these entities are front companies that the government of Syria and its supporters have used in an attempt to evade US and EU sanctions,” the statement said.

The sanctions freeze any assets the entities have in the US and prohibit Americans from doing business with them.