U.S. Hits Syrian Oil Company, Hezbollah With Sanction

The Obama administration imposed new sanctions today against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah, the militant Islamist group with close ties to Iran.

On the eve of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s meeting with Syrian opposition members and Turkish leaders in Istanbul, the U.S. targeted the Syrian state-run oil company, Sytrol, under the Iran Sanctions Act. The action, which effectively cuts off the Sytrol’s access to the international banking system, was triggered by the company’s shipments of gasoline to Iran, according to a statement by a State Department spokesman, Patrick Ventrell.

The administration also designated Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which is already on the U.S. terrorism list, for providing support to the Syrian government. Since the uprising in Syria began in March 2011, Hezbollah has given training, advice and extensive logistical support to the regime’s “increasingly ruthless efforts to fight against the opposition,” a statement from the Treasury Department said.

The sanctions are part of a shift in U.S. strategy from working on diplomacy through the United Nations to a focusing on supporting the opposition. They also reflect administration efforts to do more in response to the carnage in Syria as calls for more assertive action grow, said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Wilson Center, a Washington policy group.

‘Every Tool’

“The administration is looking for every tool and instrument it can to add to the pressure and, from a political point of view, also demonstrate there are still things they can do,” Miller said in a telephone interview.

More than 21,000 people have died since unrest broke out 17 months ago, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Clinton will meet Saturday with Turkey’s leaders to consult and coordinate on aid to the Syrian opposition, as well as on planning for Assad’s departure, according to a State Department official traveling with Clinton.

The official, who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record, said the talks would also explore transition plans for the country after Assad falls. Clinton will also meet with activists and opposition members, and announce some additional aid for the growing number of Syrian refugees, the official said.

Clinton plans to discuss possible further steps in Syria with her European counterparts next week as well as planning for another multi-nation “Friends of Syria” meeting, the official said.

‘Destabilizing Presence’

The Treasury designation also named Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, and said he has overseen the group’s efforts to help the Syrian regime crack down on its population. He is also on the U.S. terrorism list.

“Hezbollah’s extensive support to the Syrian government’s violent suppression of the Syrian people exposes the true nature of this terrorist organization and its destabilizing presence in the region,” Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen said in a statement.

Though Hezbollah has been designated a terrorist organization since 1995, Cohen said that the point of today’s announcement is to “expose” its activity in Syria.

“The designation, the information that underlies that designation serves a very, very important purpose,” Cohen said in a call with reporters. It makes clear to countries around the world “the true nature of Hezbollah’s activities.”

Cohen said and the U.S. wants those countries to “limit the amount of space Hezbollah has to operate.” Cohen didn’t specify what countries the U.S. is seeking to influence or what the administration wants them to do.

Hezbollah has directly trained Syrian government personnel inside Syria and has facilitated the training of Syrian forces by Iran’s terrorist arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the Treasury statement.

 – Bloomberg