US sanctions Syrians over sarin attack

THE Trump administration on Monday imposed sanctions on 271 employees of the Syrian government agency it said was responsible for producing chemical weapons and ballistic missiles, an effort to impose a sweeping punishment after a sarin attack on civilians this month.

The sanctions on members of President Bashar al-Assad’s Scientific Studies and Research Center more than double the number of Syrian individuals and entities whose property has been blocked by the United States and who are barred from financial transactions with American people or companies.

It is not clear what impact the restrictions will have, given that they only apply to business, financial holdings or transactions involving American people or companies. Administration officials said they focused on highly educated Syrian officials with deep expertise in chemistry who were thought to have the ability to travel and possibly to use the American financial system.

A report issued by the National Security Council this month that included a declassified account of the Khan Sheikhoun attack said American intelligence had indicated that “personnel historically associated with Syria’s chemical weapons program” were at Shayrat airfield in March and on the day of the assault.

That airfield is believed to have been used by Syrian government warplanes to carry out the attack. President Donald Trump ordered missile strikes on the airfield days later.

An administration official asserted that those being blacklisted were believed to be responsible for the attack.