US sanctions Syrian state-run oil company

The United States has imposed sanctions on the Syrian state-run oil company Sytrol for providing gasoline to Iran, a US State Department spokesman said. The new penalties come after the firm delivered $36 million worth of gasoline to Iran in April, department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a statement. Sytrol was first put under US sanctions last year. He also criticized Tehran for its continuing support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "Though these sanctions are a direct result of Syria's provision of gasoline to Iran, the United States views Iran's broader support for the Assad regime as completely unjustifiable," spokesman Ventrell said. "Iran is actively advising, supplying, and assisting the Syrian security forces and regime-backed militias that are carrying out gross human rights abuses against the Syrian people. Iran is also providing the Assad regime with equipment to monitor opposition activity on the Internet," he added. The State Department said it acted under the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act. Washington and its allies say Iran is developing an atomic bomb, an accusation Tehran denies.