The US and its allies have implemented new sanctions targeting the economic bases of both Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis).

The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on 16 October targeting seven companies in Cyprus, Russia and Lebanon, accused of “acting for [or] providing support to” the Syrian regime. This is the latest set of sanctions going back as far as former US President George W Bush’s ‘War on Terror’, which has intensified since the outbreak of civil war in 2011. However, the effect has reportedly been the consolidation of regime networks of corruption.

Sanctions against Isis were also stepped up on 17 October, following a meeting of the International Working Group on Sanctions Targeting Isis, Al-Nusrah Front and the Al-Assad Regime. It announced “a greater commitment to decrease the flow of funding and material” to the extremist groups, as part of current US President Barack Obama’s plan to “degrade and ultimately destroy” Isis.

Bombing campaigns in September also attacked oil infrastructure captured by Isis, in order to reduce the group’s revenue from black market oil sales. Although the US government gave the regime a “heads-up” about the raids, they deny this represents coordination or a rapprochement with the regime.