US Treasury says it eliminated 518 Syrian people and entities from its listing of sanctions after president’s decree.
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has signed an government order to dismantle an internet of sanctions in opposition to Syria, a transfer that may seemingly unlock investments within the nation greater than six months after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
Trump’s decree on Monday presents sanction aid to “entities crucial to Syria’s growth, the operation of its authorities, and the rebuilding of the nation’s social material”, the US Treasury mentioned in an announcement.
The Syrian authorities has been underneath heavy US monetary penalties that predate the outbreak of the civil battle within the nation in 2011.
The sprawling sanction programme, which included provisions associated to the previous authorities’s human rights abuses, has derailed reconstruction efforts within the nation. It has additionally contributed to driving the Syrian economic system underneath al-Assad to the snapping point.
Trump promised sanctions aid for Syria throughout his go to to the Middle East in Could.
“The USA is dedicated to supporting a Syria that’s secure, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbours,” the US president mentioned in an announcement on Monday.
“A united Syria that doesn’t provide a protected haven for terrorist organisations and ensures the safety of its spiritual and ethnic minorities will assist regional safety and prosperity.”
The US administration mentioned Syria-related sanctions in opposition to al-Assad and his associates, ISIL (ISIS) and Iran and its allies will stay in place.
Whereas the US Treasury mentioned it already eliminated 518 Syrian people and entities from its listing of sanctions, some Syria penalties might not be revoked instantly.
For instance, Trump directs US companies to find out whether or not the circumstances are met to take away sanctions imposed underneath the Caesar Act, which enabled heavy penalties in opposition to the Syrian economic system for alleged battle crimes in opposition to civilians.
Democratic US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar had partnered with Republican lawmaker Anna Paulina Luna to introduce earlier this week a invoice that may legislatively raise sanctions on Syria to supply long-term aid.
Actual aid for the Syrian folks requires repealing sure legal guidelines.
My invoice with @RepLuna completely repeals the sanctions and provides the post-Assad Syria a preventing likelihood. https://t.co/gExbLiKS7z
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 30, 2025
As a part of Trump’s order, the US president ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to overview the designation of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa as a “Specifically Designated International Terrorist”.
Furthermore, the US president ordered a overview of the standing of al-Sharaa’s group, al-Nusra Entrance – now Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – as a chosen “overseas terrorist” organisation. Al-Nusra was al-Qaeda’s department in Syria, however al-Sharaa severed ties with the group in 2016.
Al-Nusra later turned generally known as Jabhat Fath al-Sham earlier than merging with different insurgent teams as HTS.
Al-Sharaa was the de facto chief of a insurgent enclave in Idlib in northwest Syria for years earlier than main the offensive that overthrew al-Assad in December 2024.
Trump met with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in Could and praised the Syrian president as “engaging” and “powerful”.
The interim Syrian president – who was beforehand recognized by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Julani – has promised inclusive governance to allay considerations about his previous ties to al-Qaeda.
However violence and kidnappings in opposition to members of al-Assad’s Alawite sect by former insurgent fighters over the previous months have raised considerations amongst some rights advocates.
Al-Sharaa has additionally pledged that Syria wouldn’t pose a menace to its neighbours, together with Israel, which has been advancing in Syrian territory past the occupied Golan Heights and frequently bombing the nation.
