US further tightens noose around Iran for supplying oil to Syria

The United States has imposed sanctions on an international network through which Iran and Russia provide millions of barrels of oil to Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, in exchange for the movement of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, and an onward transfer of resources to the terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hizballah.

The US State Department in a release issued on November 20, mentioned that the sanctions directly target the Iranian regime's exploitation of the international financial system to hide revenue streams it uses to fund terrorist activities and provide support to sectarian militias responsible for abuses against the civilian population in the Middle East and destabilize the region.

The Iranian-commanded forces inside Syria along with other proxy terrorist groups continue to foment instability to extend their malign influence. These actions by the Iranian and Assad regimes undermine the legitimate processes to resolve the conflict in Syria.

These sanctions, further in conjunction with the economic, diplomatic, and other strategic initiatives, are part of the US government's long-term maximum pressure campaign to counter the Iranian regime's influence and its destabilising regional activities, to deny it the funds it uses to bankroll terrorist and militant proxies, and to secure the removal of all Iranian forces from Syria, reads the statement further. These sanctions deny the funds by Iran to bankroll terrorist and militant proxies and to secure the removal of all Iranian forces from Syria, it adds.

"They are also a part of the United States' efforts to bear the necessary pressure on the Syrian regime that would enable a political resolution of the Syrian conflict. Disrupting the illicit network that we have designated today is a crucial element of a broader effort to disrupt the material ties between the Assad regime and its IRGC patrons. This effort will continue in the months to come," the US Department said in its statement.

"We are committed to imposing a financial toll on the Iranian regime, Russia, and others who prop up the Assad regime and enable its abuses, as well as to disrupt the Iranian regime's funding of terrorist organizations. The United States will use every available tool to combat the Iranian regime's destabilizing and destructive influence in Syria and throughout the region," the statement further read.