Syria

23 Sep 1985

Syria

Scientific Studies and Research Center Employee

https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20170424

2017-04-24

US

Executive Order 13338; Executive Order 13399; Executive Order 13460; Executive Order 13572; Executive Order 13573; Executive Order 13582

OFAC country specific

Syria

Blocking Property, Suspending Entry, Trade sanctions

• https://ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/topic/1571 The United States has sanctioned the Syrian government, including the Central Bank of Syria, senior Syrian government officials, and individuals and entities supporting the Assad regime and/or responsible for human rights abuses in Syria, in order to reinforce the President’s call that Bashar al-Assad step down and to disrupt the Assad regime’s ability to finance its campaign of violence against the Syrian people. In addition, Treasury has sanctioned the Commercial Bank of Syria and a number of other entities under Executive Order 13382, an authority that targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters. Over the years Treasury has applied a broad range of sanctions using several different authorities and Executive orders (E.O.s), including counter-terrorism (E.O. 13224), human rights abuses (E.O. 13572), and non proliferation (E.O. 13382). The United States has also prohibited the exportation of services to Syria, and there have long been legal restrictions on what goods U.S. persons can export to Syria.

On May 11, 2004, the President issued E.O. 13338, declaring a national emergency to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining United States and international efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq. E.O. 13338 was issued under the authority of, inter alia, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. §§ 1701 et seq.) (“IEEPA”), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. §§ 1601 et seq.) (“NEA”), and the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Act of 2003 (Pub. L. 108-175). On April 5, 2005, OFAC issued a set of regulations to implement E.O. 13338 (70 Fed. Reg. 17203, April 5, 2005). See 31 C.F.R. Part 542, Syrian Sanctions Regulations (“SSR”) for details. On April 25, 2006, the President issued E.O. 13399 pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA, the NEA, and section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. § 287c) (“UNPA”), determining, among other things, that it is in the interests of the United States to assist the Government of Lebanon in identifying and holding accountable those persons who were involved in planning, sponsoring, organizing, or perpetrating the terrorist act that resulted in the assassination of former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri and the deaths of 22 others, and taking additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in E.O. 13338. On February 13, 2008, the President issued E.O. 13460 pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA and the NEA, finding that the Government of Syria continues to engage in certain conduct that formed the basis for the national emergency declared in E.O. 13338 and that the conduct of certain members of the Government of Syria and other persons contributing to public corruption related to Syria enables the Government of Syria to continue to engage in certain conduct that formed the basis for the national emergency declared in E.O. 13338. E.O. 13460 took additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in E.O. 13338. On April 29, 2011, the President issued E.O. 13572 pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA and the NEA, expanding the scope of the national emergency declared in E.O. 13338, finding that the Government of Syria’s human rights abuses constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. On May 18, 2011, the President issued E.O. 13573 pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA and the NEA, taking additional steps with respect to the Government of Syria’s continuing escalation of violence against the people of Syria and with respect to the national emergency declared in E.O. 13338 and expanded in scope in E.O. 13572. On August 17, 2011, the President issued E.O. 13582 pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA and the NEA, taking additional steps with respect to the Government of Syria’s continuing escalation of violence against the people of Syria and with respect to the national emergency declared in E.O. 13338 and expanded in scope in E.O. 13572. On April 22, 2012, the President issued E.O. 13606 pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA and the NEA, determining that the commission of serious human rights abuses against the people of Syria and Iran by their governments, facilitated by 4 computer and network disruption, monitoring, and tracking by those governments, threatens the national security and foreign policy of the United States. E.O. 13606 is designed primarily to address the need to prevent entities located in whole or in part in Syria and Iran from facilitating or committing serious human rights abuses and takes additional steps with respect to the national emergencies declared in E.O. 13338 and E.O. 12957, while recognizing the vital importance of providing technology that enables the Syrian and Iranian people to communicate with each other and the outside world, and of the preservation of global telecommunications supply chains to enable the free flow of information. On May 1, 2012, the President issued E.O. 13608 pursuant to, inter alia, IEEPA and the NEA, finding that efforts by foreign persons to engage in activities intended to evade U.S. economic and financial sanctions with respect to Syria and Iran undermine United States efforts to address the national emergencies declared in E.O. 13338, E.O. 12957, E.O. 12938, and E.O. 13224, and taking additional steps pursuant to those national emergencies.

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