US ISSUED SANCTIONS AGAINST 271 EMPLOYEES OF SYRIA’S SCIENTIFIC STUDIES AND RESEARCH CENTER

President Donald Trump walks to his swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Pool / Getty Images)

On Monday, the US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control issued sanctions against 271 employees of Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center, arguing that the agency allegedly responsible for producing chemical weapons.

“We take Syria’s disregard for innocent human life very seriously, and will relentlessly pursue and shut down the financial networks of all individuals involved with the production of chemical weapons used to commit these atrocities,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

There are no doubts that the words “all individuals” don’t include members of al-Qaeda-style “opposition organizations” operating across Syria, specially if these “opposition organizations” fight against the Assad government.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that the newly imposed sanctions send a clear signal to Assad’s government that its actions are not taken lightly by the US.

“First and foremost is to send a clear signal to make sure that they understand that we don’t take their actions lightly and that we want to do everything we can to have stability in the region,” Spicer said.

On April 7, the US launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Ash Sha’irat military airfield operated by the Syrian Air Force following a chemical attack allegedly conducted by the Syrian government in the province of Idlib. This move was also described by Washington as a legal way to send a “signal” to the Syrian government.

Meanwhile, the US has send more “signals” in the Asia-Pacific region, threatening to strike North Korea and sennding a carrier strike group to the Korean Peninsula.

It looks like the new US administration likes signals very much.

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