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U.S. signals more sanctions against Syria

02 August 2011 01:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A U.S. government spokesman said on Monday that the country is considering more sanctions on Syria after a total of 79 Syrians were said to have been killed in clashes with Syria’s security forces on Sunday, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agnecy.

"In terms of actions taken, you correctly noted that the E.U. has come out with additional sanctions today," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters, referring to the decision by the European Union (EU) to extend sanctions against Syria.

"We’ve issued several sets of sanctions against Assad and his regime," said Toner. "That continues to be an option that we’re looking at as we consider next steps, including sanctions on oil and gas."

Syria has been in unrest since mid-March when anti-government protests broke out in Daraa province and spread to other cities.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has been building up pressure on Syria in recent months, during which the U.S. has slapped sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad, his inner circle and assets controlled by the Syrian government.

On Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama vowed that the U.S. will continue to increase pressure on Syria to isolate the Assad government.