The Trump administration is moving forward with support for the new Syrian government. A significant part of that initiative involves sanctions relief and giving Syria the chance to be invested in and rebuild after 14 years of civil war.
To that end, the US has moved quickly following a May meeting between US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that under Trump’s executive order, “Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions,” the US is “taking further actions to support a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors. US sanctions will not impede Syria’s future.”
Trump’s executive order further stated that “a united Syria that does not offer a safe haven for terrorist organizations and ensures the security of its religious and ethnic minorities will support regional security and prosperity. The secretary of state and the secretary of the treasury have taken initial steps toward this goal through the issuance on May 23, 2025, of General License 25 and a waiver of sanctions under the Caesar Act.”
The order also noted the “positive actions taken by the new Syrian government" under Sharaa.
Trump signed an executive order removing the sanctions on Syria
“This order supports United States national security and foreign policy goals by directing additional actions,” it continued.
The US State Department also issued a notice on the same day, saying that Trump had signed a historic executive order on the revocation of sanctions on Syria.
In this statement, the department pointed out that some sanctions targeting former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and his “cronies” will remain in place.
However, the sanctions were lifted from several entities. The “secretary of state certified that it is in the national security interests of the United States to waive the application of sanctions for certain individuals and entities,” the agency said.
These overturned sanctions are in reference to previously targeted entities under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019.
Among the entities that will no longer be sanctioned are the 1st and 4th Divisions of the Syrian Army. Syria’s military has been reformed and changed since the fall of Assad in December 2024.
The US Treasury Department is also moving forward based on the executive order.
It put out a statement that said that, concurrent with the issuance of the order, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) “removed 518 individuals and entities from the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons sanctioned under the Syria sanctions program.”
The lifting of sanctions “on individuals and entities [is] critical to Syria’s development, the operation of its government, and the rebuilding of the country’s social fabric,” the US Treasury Department wrote.
“The OFAC also designated 139 individuals and entities affiliated with the previous regime under Executive Order 13894, as further amended, as well as other Iran and counter-terrorism authorities, ensuring continued accountability for the former Assad regime and its abuses,” it said.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “In line with President Trump’s promise to deliver sanctions relief for Syria, today’s actions will help provide the country the opportunity to reestablish ties to global commerce and build international confidence.”
He added, “As we continue to monitor progress on the ground, we remain focused on preventing Assad, his cronies, terrorists, and other illicit actors from attempting to destabilize Syria and the region.”
The newly appointed US Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, congratulated Trump and Rubio on the decision.
“They continue to boldly weave an important Syrian thread in the new tapestry of peace and prosperity in the Middle East,” he said.
Barrack has played a key role over the last month and a half in reshaping US policy on Syria and meeting with noteworthy leaders throughout the region to enable the new policy to be effective.