U.S. senator sets conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Jim Risch outlined the U.S. conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria, stating that the U.S. will not consider such a move unless Russia and Iran withdraw from Syria, The National, an Emirati newspaper reported.

A list of U.S. expectations

Risch, a senior Republican with oversight of the State Department, laid out a series of conditions that Washington expects Daramsuq (Damascus) to meet. These include limiting Russian influence over Syria and demonstrating increased autonomy in its dealings with Russia. The senator also emphasized the need for Syria’s interim government to prove that the country will not be used as a base for attacks against the U.S. and its allies.

Concerns over captagon trade and detainees

Among the demands is the dismantling of the Assad regime’s Captagon drug trade, a major concern for U.S. policymakers. Risch also stressed the importance of determining the fate of U.S. citizens detained by the former Syrian government, including journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in 2012.

Calls for immediate action

Risch urged the Trump administration to address these conditions promptly and incorporate them into its developing policy on Syria. His stance underscores the firm bipartisan consensus in the U.S. that any shift in U.S. sanctions policy must be tied to significant changes on the ground.