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WASHINGTON, Oct. 14-- The United States on Monday rolled out a package of punishment on Turkey over its ongoing military operations in Syria, as some U.S. lawmakers questioned the measures' effectiveness. U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order authorizing sanctions against Turkey and raised tariffs on steel imports from the country in response to its military operations in Syria. Following the authorization, the U.S. Treasury announced later in the day that it has designated Turkey's Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, as well as the heads of the two ministries and Turkish interior minister, for their involvement in Turkey's actions "that further deteriorate peace, security, and stability of the region," saying it is prepared to impose additional sanctions on Turkish officials and entities "as necessary." Trump said in a statement released on Monday afternoon that the United States will immediately stop negotiations for a 100-billion-U.S. dollar trade deal with Turkey and raise tariffs on steel imports from Turkey back up to 50 percent. The United States in May cut its tariffs on imports of Turkish steel from 50 percent to 25 percent, while terminating the preferential trade treatment for Turkey. The Trump administration's new move came days after Turkey launched military operations targeting the Kurdish forces in several parts of northeast Syria and also followed Trump's order over the weekend to withdraw around 1,000 U.S. troops from northern Syria. | 
