US officials said that the administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing for new rounds of sanctions against Syria, and it plans to expand its blacklist by focusing on financial support networks outside Syria, which will escalate international pressure to achieve a negotiated peace and political transition.
An investigation by the Wall Street Journal reports that to accomplish this, Washington wants to investigate the networks of international companies linked to the regime and intensify diplomatic efforts to pressure governments, including US allies, to cut off cash flows.
The investigation indicates that additional sanctions may include supporters and partners of the Syrian regime in Lebanon and the UAE, and companies in Europe related to the Assad family.
The newspaper adds that the Foreign Ministry’s envoy to Syria, Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, had warned the UAE last June that it might face sanctions, following the reopening of the UAE embassy in Damascus, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, offered to support Syria in containing the spread of the Corona virus.
Records and review
The Wall Street Journal said that it had reviewed records related to the UK’s confiscation of a bank account for Anisa Shawkat, the niece of the President of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, due to its use in money laundering operations and to avoid sanctions, adding that about 200,000 dollars of deposits came from Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, National Security Adviser in The UAE and the brother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Tahnoon was a patron of Anisa Shawkat when she was a student.
The newspaper states that officials in the Trump administration have also specifically warned senior officials in Lebanon for a long time against providing assistance to the Syrian regime, including Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, who has been under scrutiny in the United States for allegations of his financial involvement with Rami Makhlouf, the Syrian president's cousin.