U.S. sanctions Syrian scientists and chemists for 'developing chemical weapons'

The U.S. government sanctioned 271 employees of Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) on Monday, for their alleged role in developing chemical weapons, Reuters reported.  

The move was announced by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The sanctions more than “doubles the number of Syrian individuals and entities whose property has been blocked by the United States and who are barred from financial transactions with American people or companies,” the New York Times reported.

It comes three weeks after the April 4 alleged chemical attack on civilians in Khan Sheikhoun -a village in the northwestern province of Idlib- which reportedly left at least 90 people dead. 

During an address to reporters, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions are considered the largest to ever be imposed by OFAC.

He also explained that the treasury is targeting the Syrian government agency because it's "responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons."

"These sweeping sanctions are intended to hold the Assad regime and those who support it directly or indirectly, accountable for their blatant violations of the chemical weapons convention," he said.

According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative - a Washington-based think-tank - the SSRC is a research center with close ties to the country's military.

Although the Syrian government promotes it as a civilian research center, "its activities focus substantively on the development of biological and chemical weapons," U.S. officials have said.

The center had previously been sanctioned by the Obama administration.  

In 2016, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on six SSRC officials it said were linked to SSRC branches affiliated with chemical weapons logistics or research. 

The sanctions are the latest response to the Syrian regime by the Trump Administration.   

Earlier this month, the U.S. launched its first strike against the Syrian military since the start of the Syrian war in response to the Khan Sheikhoun attack. It targeted the Shayrat base, near the city of Homs with 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles. 

When announcing the strikes, U.S. president Donald Trump described the suspected chemical attack as "very barbaric" and said the missiles would "prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons," The New York Times reported.

The Syrian government has continuously denied the allegations made against it.