Trump lifts sanctions on Syrial, White House says president will meet Ahmad al-Sharaa tomorrow

RIYADH — US President Donald Trump puts his money where his mouth is and lifts sanctions on the Syrian Arab Republic. On Monday, before his departure to the Middle East, Trump hinted at lifting the sanctions that date back to the former Baath regime — which fell on December 8 last year. He said he wanted to give the people of Syria a “fresh start” after years of conflict and diplomatic isolation. Today, at a Saudi-US investment forum, Trump said that the sanctions “were brutal and crippling,” but served an important function. Now, Trump said, it is Syria’s “time to shine,” and “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.”

Also read: Levantine National Council urges international community to lift sanctions on Syria

Charm Offensive by al-Sharaa

According to a White House official to Reuters, Trump will shortly meet with President of the Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The meeting would significantly increase Sharaa’s international prestige, the former leader of the dissolved Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham, still a US designated terrorist organization.

Daramsuq (Damascus) has struggled to satisfy Washington’s preconditions for sanctions relief — such as removing designated terrorists from senior military positions and expelling foreign fighters — which US officials say remain unmet. But, in the last couple of days and weeks, Ahmad al-Sharaa launched a high-stakes diplomatic bid to secure relief from the extensive US sanctions by offering President Donald Trump a suite of economic and political incentives, according to officials familiar with the discussions.

Al-Sharaa’s proposals include granting American firms access to Syria’s oil and gas reserves in exchange for lifting sanctions that have isolated the country from the global financial system since 2011. In a symbolic overture tailored to Trump’s business brand, al-Sharaa also proposed the construction of a “Trump Tower” in central Daramsuq as part of the deal package.

In his speech to the US-Saudi investment forum, Trump noted that he had discussed the situation in Syria with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and earlier with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both had requested the US lift its sanctions on Syria, he indicated. As he granted their request today, it appears the US president has a soft spot for authoritarian leaders.