pResident Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, May 13 that he plans to end U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, which have been in place for more than 45 years.

Trump announced the news at the U.S.-Suldi Investment Forum on the first day of the first day of the U.S. Sudi Investment Forum, he would raise sanctions “to give them (Syria) greatness.”

Trump described the sanctions as “brutally cruel and cruel” but also pointed to their important functions before the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime in December 2024.

The announcement was held during a joyful celebration in the Syrian capital Damascus, where people in the streets cheered and waved Syrian flags.

Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Wednesday morning before heading for Doha. They were accompanied by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan joined remotely by phone.

Trump shared his impression of al-sharaa with reporters while heading to Doha Airlines, calling him “young, attractive. Strong people. Past. Past. Past. Past. Past.

Read more: Trump announces plans to lift sanctions on state to meet Syrian president

Shiraz Maher, a war research writer and lecturer at King's College London, said Trump's announcement showed "a clear vote of confidence in the new administration. It offers new opportunities for Syria."

“I think it’s something Obama is trying to do, moving forward from behind, removing barriers, and giving Syria a chance to do its own way.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post-conference update shared on X that Trump urged Al-Sharaa to sign the Abraham Agreement to normalize relations with Israel. He also encouraged al-Sharaa to evacuate foreign terrorists from Syria and helped the United States prevent the ISIS revival.

The Abraham Accorts were established during Trump's first term and involved the normalization of diplomatic and economic ties between many Arab and Muslim countries and Israel.

Since the collapse of the Assad regime in December, Israel has carried out air strikes in Syria near Damascus, citing violence in the Druze area. Israeli forces have also reportedly expanded their military operations to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the southwestern corner of Syria.

What are the US sanctions on Syria?

The Assad government was first designated by the United States as a sponsor of terrorism state in 1979. Since then, the country's sanctions have been escalated in 2004 and escalated again in 2011.

As part of the sanctions, Syrian officials' assets and property in the United States were frozen and banned from Syrian origin oil and oil products.

Syria and its population have been almost completely isolated from the global economy since 2011, and in a difficult civil war, residents face difficulties in using international bank cards or importing foreign goods.

Maher believes that the proposed lifting of sanctions is a crucial change for the Syrian people. "This situation is hopeless, (some) have two hours of electricity a day, facing overcharging. It's a very important signal that this may change," he said.

Maher said in the social media comments he saw that he met a commentator who said: "It's not what I thought to be able to use Apple salary in Idlib (a Syrian city).

Further restrictions have been imposed on the Assad regime and its supporters under a series of additional sanctions imposed under the Caesar Syria Civil Protection Act 2019.

Aaron Y, a senior fellow at the Institute for Near East Policy in Washington.

“Congress has enacted this rule, so the Trump administration now has to let Congress relax them in many ways,” Zelin said.

Zelin said that apart from the difficulties, Trump’s announcement was “huge news for the Syrian government”, adding that the move allowed the administration to provide more legitimacy and opportunities for reconstruction and investment.

"Syrians will get more capital opportunities and become part of the global economy again. At the moment, everything is a cash economy," he said.

But how long will it take until these changes are felt?

Benjamin Fève, senior research analyst at Karam Shaar Advisory Limited, believes that the official proposal to formally propose sanctions against Syria is "not as simple as Trump just declares it" and that it will "take a long process."

He said through an article on X: "We can only hope that they can make the process as quickly as possible.

If Usbecomes interact more with the Syrian government, Russia may find it increasingly difficult to exist in Syria, especially where oil is provided to the country.

Russia has been Syria's major oil supplier since Assad left, but that could change with Trump's plan. Zelin muses that Russia "may use" its oil supply to "gain close ties with Syria."

Qatar had previously said it would provide Syria with $29 million in funding to pay public sector wages, eventually delayed due to U.S. sanctions. But now, the deal can accelerate, as Zelin suggests that Qatar could fund more government bills after Trump announced the news.

Who is Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa?

President al-Sharaa has become a key figure in the Middle East.

In less than two weeks, Al-Sharaa's group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a rebel coalition to overthrow Assad. HTS has maintained control over the northern province of Idlib in recent years, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States shortly after its establishment.

Just before the United States invaded Iraqi al-Sharaa in 2003, famous under his Nom-de-guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, heading to Baghdad. Over the next few years, he will spend with Al Qaeda, recruiting members and promotions, then being arrested and detained in a former U.S. prison at Camp Buka, Iraq.

With the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, al-Sharaa returned to his homeland and helped establish Al-Qaeda’s membership group, Al-Nusra Front. But radical leaders continued to connect with the organization in 2016 to build HTS.