WASHINGTON D.C.: A bipartisan group of US lawmakers are introducing a law to bar the US government from recognizing Bashar al-Assad, who is under sanctions from Washington, as Syria’s president.

As a warning to other countries normalizing relations with Assad, it also seeks to expand Washington’s ability to impose sanctions.

First reported by Reuters, the bill comes after Arab states allowed Syria back into the Arab League, and expands the coverage of the Caesar Act, which imposed tough sanctions on Syria in 2020.

For many years, countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, supported anti-Assad rebels, but the Iranian-backed Syrian army, supported by Russia and various paramilitary groups, has regained control of most of the country.

In a statement, US Representative Joe Wilson, the chair of the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, said, “Countries choosing to normalize with the unrepentant mass murderer and drug trafficker, Bashar al-Assad, are headed down the wrong path.”

The legislation also seeks to warn Turkey and Arab countries about engaging with Assad’s government, warning of the possibility of imposing sanctions.

Washington has been very clear that it does not seek to normalize relations with Assad’s government, and would not support its allies and other partners that do so, said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, during his regular news briefing.

The bill will also require a review of transactions, including donations over $50,000 in areas of Syria held by Assad’s government by any entity in Turkey, the UAE, Egypt, and other countries.