The Trump administration issued a fresh round of sanctions on Syria Tuesday, targeting the country’s central bank, a close aide to the president and several of the first lady’s London-based relatives who Washington accuses of enabling the Syrian government. 

The new wave of sanctions is the latest US effort to hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his inner circle accountable for widely documented human rights violations and deprive the regime of the resources needed to continue perpetrating them. The Central Bank of Syria, which was already subject to US sanctions, was added to Treasury Department’s list of specially designated nationals on Tuesday for its “deep banking ties to Iran.” 

Officials also unveiled sanctions on Lina al-Kinayeh, one of Assad’s key advisers who previously headed the first lady’s office. Her husband, Syrian member of parliament Mohammed  Masouti, and their business entities were also targeted. The commander of Syria’s military intelligence organization, General Kifah Moulhem, was blacklisted “for his role as one of the architects of the Syrian people’s suffering.” 

The sanctions freeze any US-held assets of those designated Tuesday and bans them from entering the United States. Non-Americans who engage in certain transactions with them risk secondary sanctions.