Syria Accuses US of Violating Sovereignty, Pillaging Resources

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates conveyed this assertion in two identical letters addressed to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and the rotating President of the Security Council, Ferit Hoxha, on Sunday.

In the letters, Damascus demanded that the US administration be held accountable for the illicit exploitation of Syria's wealth and be compelled to provide compensation for these actions.

Furthermore, Syria called for an end to the aggressive practices and violations of international principles and the UN Charter by US occupation forces, who are unlawfully stationed in the northeastern part of the country and the strategic southeastern region of al-Tanf.

The letters also underscored that Washington and its allied terrorists are plundering Syria's strategic assets to exacerbate the impact of unilateral sanctions on the Syrian people, prolong their suffering, and deprive them of their national resources.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry estimated the damage inflicted on Syria's oil and mineral sectors due to "acts of aggression and sabotage" by US forces and their allied terrorists at $115.2 billion.

According to the ministry, 150,000 barrels of Syrian crude oil are smuggled out of the country daily, with an additional 59.9 million cubic meters of natural gas and 413 thousand tons of refined gas, valued at $21.4 billion, having been stolen.

Moreover, vandalism and theft of specialized equipment have resulted in damages amounting to $3.2 billion. The US-led military coalition, ostensibly formed to combat the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, has also caused losses of $2.9 billion to Syria's oil and gas facilities, as highlighted in the letters.

The letters further emphasized that indirect losses to Syria's economy stand at $87.7 billion, including lost benefits from crude oil, natural gas, and refined gas due to a significant reduction in their production.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry also called for an end to the illegal presence of US occupation forces and the return of Syria's energy reserves and natural resources to the Damascus government, enabling it to enhance the humanitarian and living conditions of the Syrian people.

These letters coincided with reports that the US military used numerous tankers to smuggle crude oil from Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah to neighboring Iraq on the same day. Syria's official news agency, SANA, citing local sources in al-Ya'rubiyah town, reported that a convoy of 40 tankers left Syria via the unauthorized Mahmoudiya border crossing on Sunday, heading toward Iraq. Subsequently, another convoy of 55 tankers belonging to US occupation forces crossed the same border and entered Iraq.

The US military has deployed forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment aims to prevent the oil fields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists. However, Damascus maintains that the unauthorized US deployment is aimed at exploiting the country's rich mineral resources.