U.S. Embassy: “Assad and his regime are directly responsible for Syria’s economic collapse“

WASHINGTON / DAMASCUS – In a letter to Damascus, the Trump Administration gave the Syrian regime one last chance to avoid the harsh sanctions that would be imposed on it when “Caesar’s Law” goes into effect. The letter was sent directly to Syria President Bashar al-Assad via the U.S. Embassy in Damascus and urged him to find a political solution to the country’s ongoing conflict that respects the rights and will of the Syrian people.

The letter following the statements of U.S. Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey on the sanctions to be imposed on the Syrian regime and Damascus’s response accusing the U.S. of increasing the suffering of Syrian people.

“The only exit strategy available to the Syrian regime is U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, and the Syrian Regime must take irreversible steps to implement a political solution to the Syrian conflict, which respects the rights and will of the people, or face further sanctions and isolation,” read a statement on U.S. Embassy’s Twitter account.

“As Ambassador Jeffrey has repeatedly said, Bashar al-Assad and his regime are directly responsible for Syria’s economic collapse,” the statement continued.

The Embassy accused the Assad regime of wasting tens of millions of dollars each month to finance an unnecessary war against the Syrian people, rather than providing for their basic needs.

The Embassy concluded by saying that United States will continue to impose sanctions and increase economic pressure on the regime until progress is made in the political process, including a ceasefire.