Trump announces plan to lift sanctions on Syria after Assad’s fall

RIYADH: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared his intention to lift longstanding American sanctions on Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime late last year, CNN reported.

Speaking at the Saudi-US Investment Forum 2025, Trump said the move would “give them a chance at greatness”, and framed it as a step toward peace and progress in a war-torn country.

Trump said the decision came after discussions with both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing in many years”, he said, adding that his administration had already begun taking steps to restore normal diplomatic relations with Syria. He emphasised this would mark the first such effort by the US in over a decade.

As part of this process, Trump noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet Syria’s foreign minister in Turkey “later this week,” further advancing the thaw between the two nations, reported CNN.

The Assad regime, which collapsed during the final phase of the Biden administration in December, had long been under intense international sanctions. Trump suggested the time had come to turn the page.

“The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important — really an important function — nevertheless, at the time”, Trump stated. “But now it’s their time to shine. So I say, ‘Good luck, Syria.’ Show us something very special”.

Trump expressed optimism that the country’s new leadership “will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country in keeping peace,” suggesting the US is ready to support Syria’s transition, CNN reported.

Syria’s new President Ahmad al-Sharaa, once the founder of the militant group Jabhat al-Nusra, broke ties with al-Qaeda in 2016, according to the US Centre for Naval Analyses. A White House official confirmed that Trump is expected to informally greet al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, signalling further engagement between Washington and Damascus.

US President Donald Trump began his Middle East visit on May 13, which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. (ANI)