Iraq News

18 Syrian officials sanctioned over chemical weapons

The US Treasury Department on Thursday (January 12th) announced sanctions against 18 senior Syrian regime officials over the use of chemical weapons.

The sanctions come in response to Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and UN Joint Investigative Mechanism reports that confirmed the regime’s use of chlorine as a chemical weapon in 2014 and 2015, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

This is the first time the US has sanctioned specific Syrian officials in connection with Syria’s violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons ," the statement said, adding that the regime’s continued attacks "demonstrate its willingness to defy basic standards of human decency, its international obligations, and longstanding global norms".

Syria agreed to join the Chemical Weapons Convention after its chemical attack in the Ghouta area of Damascus on August 21st, 2013, killed more than 1,000 people.

The statement urged UN member states and convention signatories to support efforts to enforce accountability through the UN Security Council and domestic law.

"The international community must make clear that chemical weapons use is unacceptable and violators will face significant consequences for their actions," the statement said.

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