Biden Administration Criticized for Not Imposing New Sanctions on Syria

US President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin meet for the US-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin meet for the US-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. (Reuters)
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Biden Administration Criticized for Not Imposing New Sanctions on Syria

US President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin meet for the US-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin meet for the US-Russia summit at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. (Reuters)

With the US Treasury issuing exemptions for the Syrian regime to enable it to face the COVID-19 pandemic, criticism targeted US President Joe Biden’s handling of the Syrian file and his abstention from imposing new sanctions under the Caesar Act.

Although the US Treasury, which issued the new guidance on Thursday afternoon, noted that they were part of the administration’s efforts to review financial and economic sanctions in order to ease COVID-19 assistance, the exemptions included two Syrian companies affiliated with the regime, namely Letia and Polymedics.

According to the Treasury statement, the two companies, which were sanctioned by the US in 2020, were allowed to conduct all activities pertaining to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of the Covid-19 virus.

The Treasury also gave the green light to practice “all transactions and activities related to the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, of services to Syria that are related to the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of COVID-19 (including research or clinical studies relating to COVID-19).”

The US Treasury said that this general license comes in line with the clarifications it issued in April that the sanctions pertaining to the Caesar Act did not include humanitarian aid related to food and medicine. However, its timing coincided with the lifting of sanctions on individuals accused of financing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which raised several questions on Biden’s policy towards Syria.

Earlier this month, the Treasury lifted sanctions on two companies affiliated with Syrian businessman Samer Foz. The Treasury justified its decision by saying that it was due to a change in the behavior of the groups on which sanctions were imposed.

This justification presented by the Treasury Department did not convince the skeptical members of Congress, especially since the move coincided with the start of the sixth round of the Vienna negotiations with Iran over its nuclear deal, and before Biden’s meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday.

Congressmen accused the US president of making concessions to both Iran and Russia, pointing to the administration’s leniency with the Assad regime.

Rep. Congressman Joe Wilson said that Samer Foz directly benefited from the regime’s war crimes and destruction in Syria, and built luxurious communities on lands stolen from Syrians who were forced to flee their homes.

These criticisms were not limited to Republicans alone. Leading Democrats have joined them in calling on Biden to implement the Caesar Act.

They put forward a draft resolution in the Senate that coincided with the tenth anniversary of the Syrian revolution, in which they urged Biden to implement the law and impose sanctions. They recalled that the goal of Caesar Act was to hold the regime and its international backers accountable for the “atrocities they committed against the Syrian people”, and to strip it of resources to finance the war machine.

The draft resolution also points to the Iranian and Russian military role in supporting the regime and participating in violations against civilians in order to advance their interests, which led to the strengthening of extremist groups in the country.



Airlines Keep Avoiding Middle East Airspace after US Attack on Iran

FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
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Airlines Keep Avoiding Middle East Airspace after US Attack on Iran

FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
FILE - Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East on Sunday after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, with traffic already skirting airspace in the region due to recent missile exchanges.

"Following US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, commercial traffic in the region is operating as it has since new airspace restrictions were put into place last week," FlightRadar24 said on social media platform X.

Its website showed airlines were not flying in the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.

Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic.

Since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, carriers have suspended flights to destinations in the affected countries, though there have been some evacuation flights from neighbouring nations and some bringing stranded Israelis home.

Israel's two largest carriers, El Al Israel Airlines and Arkia, said on Sunday they were suspending rescue flights that allowed people to return to Israel until further notice.

Israel's airports authority said the country's airspace was closed for all flights, but land crossings with Egypt and Jordan remained open.

Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21 people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to Azerbaijan. It said it was the second such evacuation since Thursday and that it would conduct further evacuations if necessary.

New Zealand's government said on Sunday it would send a Hercules military transport plane to the Middle East on standby to evacuate New Zealanders from the region.

It said in a statement that government personnel and a C-130J Hercules aircraft would leave Auckland on Monday. The plane would take some days to reach the region, it said.

The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist, it added.