CHICAGO: The US on Tuesday expanded sanctions against Syrian President Bashar Assad鈥檚 regime targeting 18 individuals and organizations including parliamentarians, military figures, financiers, and members of the family of the leader鈥檚 wife, Asma.

As well as Assad鈥檚 wife and her immediate relatives, a member of the Syrian parliament, several businesses, and the Central Bank of Syria were among what US Department of State officials described as the 鈥渢oxic mafia鈥� it said had been hiding money for their own benefit stolen from the Syrian people.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and America鈥檚 Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn marginalized the Assad clan and added that talks in Geneva on Syria鈥檚 future would continue regardless of what the regime asserted.

鈥淭he Department of State鈥痶oday鈥痠s鈥痠mposing鈥痵anctions鈥痮n鈥疉sma Assad, the wife of Bashar Assad, for impeding efforts to promote a political resolution of the Syrian conflict,鈥� Pompeo said.

鈥淎sma Assad鈥痟as spearheaded efforts on behalf of the regime to consolidate economic and political power, including by using her so-called charities and civil society organizations.鈥�

Department of State officials said that the new expanded sanctions would apply, with the cooperation of the British government, to Assad family members who had dual Syrian and British citizenship and extend beyond Syria鈥檚 geographic boundaries.

Pompeo added that the sanctions applied to Asma Assad鈥檚 immediate family members including her father Fawaz Akhras, mother Sahar Otri,鈥痑nd brothers Firas and鈥疎yad, all of whom hold dual Syrian and British citizenship and are based in the UK.

鈥淭he Assad and鈥疉khras鈥痜amilies鈥痟ave鈥痑ccumulated their ill-gotten鈥痳iches鈥痑t the expense of the Syrian people through their control over an鈥痚xtensive, illicit鈥痭etwork鈥痺ith links鈥痠n Europe, the Gulf, and elsewhere,鈥� Pompeo said.

鈥淢eanwhile, the Syrian people鈥痗ontinue to wait in long lines for bread, fuel, and medicine as the Assad regime chooses to cut subsidies for these basic essentials that Syrians need.鈥�

The secretary of state pointed out that the sanctions would also apply to the Central Bank of Syria, Lina Al-Kinayeh,鈥痮ne鈥痮f Assad鈥檚 key advisers,鈥痟er husband, Syrian parliamentarian Mohammed鈥疢asouti, and鈥痜our鈥痳egime-affiliated鈥痓usinesses they oversee.

Officials claimed Al-Kinayeh, and her operation, was 鈥渁 financial proxy, a financial front鈥� for the Assad regime which had manipulated assets stolen from others.

The commander of Syria鈥檚 Military Intelligence (SMI) organization, Gen. Kifah Moulhem, was also among those sanctioned, said Pompeo, for his role as one of the architects of the Syrian people鈥檚 suffering and for preventing a cease-fire in Syria.

He accused Moulhem of implementing the 鈥渁rbitrary detention, torture, and killing of countless civilians,鈥� adding that the US would 鈥渃ontinue to seek accountability for those prolonging this conflict.鈥�

Pompeo noted that the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2254 five years ago calling for an end to the conflict and the 鈥渟uffering of the Syrian people.鈥� He blamed the Assad regime and family for placing their own greed above the interests of the Syrian people, accusing them of 鈥渟talling efforts to reach a political resolution.鈥�

He said: 鈥淭he Assad regime,鈥痵upported by鈥痠ts enablers鈥痑nd allies, however, refuses to end its鈥痭eedless, brutal war against the Syrian people,鈥痵talling鈥痚fforts to鈥痳each a political resolution.鈥�

In a teleconference hosted after the latest sanctions鈥� announcement, Rayburn said the US and its allies would continue to put pressure on the Assad regime and its enablers 鈥渢o prevent them from amassing the resources to perpetuate their atrocities.鈥�

The envoy echoed Pompeo鈥檚 remarks adding that 鈥渨e won鈥檛 be fooled鈥� by the Assad family鈥檚 efforts and the regime鈥檚 obstruction of peace and committing human rights violations 鈥渟ome of which rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

鈥淎sma Assad has spearheaded efforts on behalf of the regime to consolidate economic and political power including by using her so-called charities and charitable society organizations,鈥� Rayburn said, pointing out that 鈥渉er corruption鈥� was a primary reason why the conflict had continued.

He said the Assads had used family, political and business relations as a 鈥渕afia鈥� front to hide their assets and obtain products and make purchases outside of Syria.

鈥淚t is not really their money. They are handling these interests on behalf of Bashar Assad and Asma Assad. This is how Bashar Assad maintains a lot of his money. He allows others (to) hold it for him and then he politically enables them to amass these assets,鈥� Rayburn added, noting they handled import and export business fronts to move their stolen assets and monies.

鈥淟ina Al-Kinayeh is the closest adviser in the Presidential Palace to both Asma Assad and Bashar Assad. They are like a regime mafia power couple. We designated them and their businesses today as a way to strike at the assets of Bashar and Asma Assad.鈥�

Rayburn said the US would not normalize relations with the Syrian Assad regime and would continue to pursue implementation of UN Resolution 2254.

He added that America and its allies were seeking a nationwide cease-fire, now being discussed in Geneva, unhindered access to humanitarian aid throughout the country, the release of all those arbitrarily detained, and a political process that enabled the Syrian people to determine their own political future.

Rayburn blamed not only Syria鈥檚 regime for obstructing peace but also the support it was receiving from Iran. He said that the US recognized that there were other tensions among their allies such as between Turkey and the Kurds, but he believed those tensions could be managed.

鈥淭here are a lot of challenges between the United States and Turkey 鈥� but regardless of those challenges 鈥� we have always considered it important to try to maintain as constructive a cooperation as possible and to keep an open channel, even in the roughest times. There are a lot of interests that overlap,鈥� he added.