U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. will lift all sanctions on Syria, marking a major turning point in U.S.-Syria relations.
The move follows the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the rise of a new transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda member who has since renounced extremism. Trump stated that the decision to lift sanctions was made after consultations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both of whom urged the move to support Syria’s new government.
The U.S. sanctions, imposed since 2004 and intensified during Syria’s civil war, had severely hampered Syria’s economy and blocked aid efforts. Their removal opens the door for foreign investment and humanitarian work, and marks the start of U.S.-Syria normalization after more than a decade of severed ties.
