President Donald Trump on Monday lifted U.S. sanctions on Syria, signing an govt order to hold out a promise he made in Could.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters forward of the signing that Trump’s motion was designed to “promote and help the nation’s path to stability and peace.”
When he met with Syria’s new president Ahmad al-Sharaa final month, Trump introduced he would carry the crippling U.S. sanctions in opposition to Syria and urged al-Sharaa to fulfill specified circumstances in hopes that it’s going to stabilize the nation.
These circumstances included normalizing relations with Syria’s neighbors, together with Israel, in addition to the United States.
Ahmad al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda rebel who fought in opposition to U.S. forces in Iraq and served time within the notorious Abu Ghraib priso
Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, appears on throughout a joint press convention with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025.
Francisco Seco/AP
Senior Trump administration officers who previewed the president’s motion terminating the Syria sanctions program stated it might dismantle the structure of this system established by the manager department whereas sustaining provisions focused at Bashar Al Assad, his collaborators, and different destabilizing forces nonetheless at work within the area.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and the administration’s Particular Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack solid the manager order — which is meant to work in tandem with the overall waiver considerably easing sanctions that was issued by the U.S. in Could — as a transfer by the president to “give these guys an opportunity,” referring to Syria’s interim authorities.
“You may have a normal who transitioned from wartime right into a place of being the chief of a reframed new nation that wants every little thing, and that is mainly what’s occurred, however the imaginative and prescient and the execution was restricted by our imposition of sanctions,” he stated. “Syria must be given an opportunity, and that is what’s occurred.”
Barrack additionally stated the aim driving Trump was to not maintain leverage over the newly-formed authorities.
“However one factor is obvious, neither the president or the secretary of state is nation constructing. They are not dictating, they are not requiring. They are not giving the framework of the democratic mannequin that must be applied to their structure or want. They’re saying we’re going to give you a chance. We’ve got a bunch of standards that we need to watch alongside the way in which,” he stated, referencing the Abraham Accords, integrating overseas fighters in Syrian society, defending U.S. allies who fought in opposition to ISIS, and different points.
Brad Smith, the appearing beneath secretary for terrorism and monetary intelligence on the Treasury Division, spoke concerning the extra technical facets of the order and emphasised that it might permit the administration to retain restrictions “the place applicable.”
“The importance of this second can’t be overstated,” Smith stated. “Whereas we stay looking forward to the nation’s future and its new authorities, we’re additionally clear eyed that threats to peace stay, the USA will stay ever vigilant the place our pursuits and safety are threatened, and Treasury won’t hesitate to make use of our authorities to guard us and worldwide monetary methods.
President Donald Trump speaks throughout a gathering with Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Overseas Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda’s Overseas Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, June 27, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP through Getty Pictures
Abraham Accords
A senior administration official insisted that the Trump administration wasn’t seeking to keep “leverage” over Syrian authorities because it seeks to encourage its management to signal onto the Abraham Accords.
“Leverage isn’t what we’re thinking about doing. The president ripped the sanctions off with none circumstances,” they stated. “It is to Syria’s profit to lean in the direction of Israel.”
The senior administration official continued to notice that it has been reported that Syria and Israel have been having conversations “on a backchannel foundation.”
“So the way in which to entice them to get to the Abraham accords is to make it fruitful for them on an financial foundation, on a on a civilization foundation, on a peace and prosperity foundation, and that is all coming collectively. And what’s occurred between Israel and Iran provides that window,” the official stated. “So we’re not thinking about leveraging them into something.”
Regardless of the motion Monday and former suspension of many sanctions in opposition to Syria, a senior administration official acknowledged that it could take additional motion from Congress to completely carry the penalties.
“We are actually — pursuant to the manager order — going to take a look at suspension standards for the Caesar Act,” the official stated.
The Caesar Syria Civilian Safety Act of 2019 enhanced sanctions on any overseas entity that engaged in vital transactions within the Syrian authorities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, again in Could, issued a 180-day waiver of the Caesar Act sanctions.
“Finally Congress has the ability to repeal the act,” the official stated on Monday.
ABC Information’ Invoice Hutchinson and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this story.
