New mineral deposits were discovered in various parts of Syria, Syrian Oil, and Mineral Resources Minister Firas Kaddour told Sputnik on Monday.

Work is underway in Syria to extract the precious resources and attract local and foreign investment, the Syrian minister added.

"We have discovered new mineral deposits in Syria. Studies have confirmed their presence," Kaddour revealed.

The government is working on making the country's mineral resources sector more attractive for local and foreign investors, he further said.

"Syria is making changes to the legislation in order to promote investments in the minerals sector," he added.

Syria's sector of natural resources has been deeply hit by the US occupation of the country, as it has been plundering the country's resources through its presence there.

This comes after Syrian news agency SANA reported last week that US occupation forces sent a convoy of 42 tankers loaded with hundreds of tons of looted oil from the Al-Jazira region toward US bases in Iraq.

Reportedly, the oil plundering transfer operation was conducted through the illegal crossing of Al-Muhamadiya, SANA reported. 

The sources noted that the occupation's oil plundering operations have intensified over the past weeks through cooperation with the SDF forces: whereby sizeable amounts of Syrian oil have been intermittently and swiftly delivered to occupation bases in Iraq.

Read more: US occupation fortifies Syria bases with hardware from Iraq

US occupation forces plundered in late March Syrian oil, with witnesses reporting they saw 80 tanks being transported out of Syria's al-Jazeera fields to US bases in Iraq. US occupation forces were seen in April escorting 32 trucks filled with Syrian oil to Iraq.

SANA reported in January that a convoy of 24 trucks was transferring looted oil and wheat from Al-Jazira through the Al-Walid border crossing to the bases in Iraq.

Convoys of tens of vehicles, including tankers loaded with stolen oil from oil fields occupied by US forces in Syria, are frequently seen crossing toward northern Iraq, in addition to trucks loaded with military equipment.

Besides being an occupation that backs armed groups for its own operations and agenda in the region, the US occupation forces continue to steal Syrian oil by smuggling it from their bases in Syria to those in Iraq.