On July 9, OFAC designated U.A.E.-based Pangates International Corporation Ltd. pursuant to E.O. 13582 for providing material support for, and goods and services to, the Government of Syria, including SYTROL, a Syrian state oil company already targeted by US and EU sanctions. OFAC alleges that from at least 2012 to April 2014, Pangates supplied the Syrian government with a large amount of specialty petroleum products that have limited civilian uses. OFAC also designated two Syria-based front companies — Expert Partners and Megatrade —pursuant to E.O. 13382 for acting for or on behalf of the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), the Syrian government agency responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons and ballistic missiles. E.O. 13382 targets the proliferators of weapons of mass destruction. The SSRC was designated by the US in June 2005 for its ties to Syria's WMD-proliferation activities and is also subject to EU sanctions.
On July 22, the European Union amended Council Regulation (EU) No. 36/2012, which imposes financial sanctions against Syria, to freeze the assets of an additional three individuals and nine entities: Hashim Anwar Al-Aqqad, Amr Armanazi, Suhayl Hasan, Army Supply Bureau, El Jazireh, Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Industrial Establishment of Defence, National Standards & Calibration Laboratory, Oceans Petroleum Trading, the Baniyas Refinery Company, the Homs Refinery Company, and Tri Oceans Trading.
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