The U.S. Treasury on Wednesday designated Syria International Islamic Bank under anti-weapons proliferation laws, freezing its assets in the United States and prohibiting U.S. firms and individuals from doing business with it. The action is aimed at tightening economic pressure on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen said in a statement. Assad is trying to crush a 14-month-old uprising against his rule which began with peaceful protests but has developed into an armed insurgency.