Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Joel Rayburn, told reporters in a briefing that "today's new designation by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of foreign assets control are on 16 targets in connection to an international network benefiting the Assad regime and the State Department is proud to support these efforts."
He added that "the scheme amounted to the Assad regime taking over property owned by ordinary Syrians and handing it to wealthy regime insiders to develop luxury properties and others while ordinary Syrians lose everything and suffer as a result of the conflict. As the suffering of the ordinary Syrians goes on, Bashar al Asad and his friends continue to accumulate wealth. Specifically, 16 individuals and entities designated today have used their ties with the Assad regime and exploited this horrific conflict for their own financial benefit."