The United States tapped a Syrian bank for sanctions Wednesday as it increases pressure on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, dpa reported.
The Syria International Islamic Bank was added to the sanctions list for serving as a conduit of funds for other banks, Commercial Bank of Syria and the Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank, which had already been placed under sanctions.
The newly sanctioned bank secretly funnelled nearly 150 million dollars for the Commercial Bank of Syria since 2011, the US Treasury Department said in announcing the move. The sanctions prohibit US citizens from doing business with the bank and freeze any assets it may have in the United States.
Washington will host a meeting of the Friends of the Syrian People's group working on sanctions June 6 to discuss further measures, the Treasury said.
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