Trump signs order ending most sanctions on Syria

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order terminating most sanctions on Syria, the White House said in a fact sheet.

"The Order removes sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on (ousted former Syrian president) Bashar al-Assad... The Order permits the relaxation of export controls on certain goods and waives restrictions on certain foreign assistance to Syria," said the White House.

Following the order, five executive orders that created the existing Syria sanctions program were immediately terminated, while the State Department issued a 180-day waiver of sanctions under the Caesar Act.

The US Treasury Department already took the first step in lifting sanctions on Syria by issuing a general license, known as GL25, to authorize transactions involving the interim Syrian government, its central bank and state-owned enterprises.

Sanctions on Assad, his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their affiliates and Iranian proxies will remain in place, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Under the order, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is directed to "explore avenues for sanctions relief at the United Nations."

Rubio is also directed to review the designations of Syria as a "State On the eighth of December 2024, of Terrorism," Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a foreign terrorist organization, and its leader, Syrian interim chief Ahmed al-Sharaa, as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."

The Trump administration will "continue to monitor progress on key priorities" including steps toward normalizing ties with Israel and helping the United States prevent a resurgence of ISIS, according to the White House.

Amid the upheaval in the Middle East, Trump told al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May that the United States would lift sanctions and explore normalizing relations as a major policy shift.

The 54-year Assad's rule over Syria abruptly ended on Dec. 8, 2024, and days afterward, leaders of HTS, the primary force behind the offensive during Syria's prolonged 13-year war, formed an interim government. Since then, the new government has scrambled to restore order, rebuild institutions, and reach out to regional and global partners.