U.S. President Donald Trump announced that U.S. sanctions on Syria would be lifted, a huge boost to Tehran's administration, which took power after the overthrow of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad in December.
"There is a new administration that is expected to successfully stabilize the country and maintain peace," Trump said in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. This is a three-day visit to the Middle East, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. “I will order the sanctions on Syria to give them a great opportunity.”
Trump is expected to meet with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, furthering that the world issuance of Syria should end.
In Syria, the news has been held in the capital, Damascus and elsewhere. Hopefully this move will help turn the nation’s economy after more than a decade of war.
Let's take a closer look.
The United States is just one of many countries that imposed sanctions on Syria during the former Al-Assad regime that ruled the country from 1971 to 2024.
The scope of sanctions in the United States is very wide. The United States initially designated Syria as a “sponsor of terrorist state” in 1979, which led to arms embargoes and financial restrictions, including foreign aid.
Further sanctions were imposed in 2004, including more arms export restrictions and restrictions on Syria's economic interaction with the United States.
The Syrian War began in 2011, when the Assad regime began attacking civilian anti-government protesters, imposing many other extensive sanctions on Syria and those linked to the regime. This includes freezing of Syrian government assets held abroad, bans on U.S. investment in Syria and restrictions on oil imports.
The United States also announced a $10 million reward to occupy the current Syrian leader Al-Sharaa and listed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, his organization before his disbandment with Al-Assad as a "foreign terrorist organization."
A series of sanctions were implemented early in the Syrian war, when the United States was supporting the country's opposition and attempting to isolate the Al-Assad regime, noting its human rights violations, including the use of chemical weapons.
The name of the "terrorist" placed on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is the result of its former connection to al-Qaeda. This is one of the reasons for the international warning that even after the fall of Al-Assad, there are still international warnings and sanctions.
Since taking office in December, al-Sharaa has been gradually gaining international legitimacy. The United States has canceled the reward for his arrested persons, and the Syrian president is able to travel internationally and meet with world leaders, including Saudi Arabia and France.
The new Syrian government has worked together to demonstrate itself as a modest force, which is acceptable to the international community, including by alienating itself from designated “terrorist” groups, pledging to work with other countries on “counter-terrorism” efforts, and making statements supporting minority rights. The latter is particularly important given the sectarian battles involving pro-government and minorities following the fall of Al-Assad.
Reuters also reported this week that Syria's attempt to convince the United States that it is not a threat, but a potential partner, including saying it has indirect negotiations with Israel and U.S. Middle East allies despite Israel's bombing and territorial occupation of Syria. It also talks about the United States-Sirian business deals, even including the Trump Tower in Damascus.
Trump said on Tuesday that his decision to end the sanctions came after discussions with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Oh, what am I doing for the crown prince!" he said.
The U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE — all countries that have been working to end sanctions and support the new Syrian government — are part of the Trump decision, said Al Jazeera, a researcher at the Council on Global Affairs of the Middle East.
"It's not too difficult for Trump," Rahman said. "He doesn't need permission from anyone. He doesn't even need consent to Congress."
Because of the central role the United States plays in the global financial system, the lifting of sanctions is a signal to the world that it can operate in Syria.
These sanctions are economically weakening for Syria and present huge obstacles to the new government, which faces pressure to improve living standards in a country with high levels of unemployment and poverty, and electricity outages are common.
Whether the U.S. itself invests in Syria remains to be seen, but Arab and Türkiye investments are likely to increase.
"(Removing sanctions) eliminated the critical obstacles to the ability (Syria) to build some kind of economic development, economic prosperity," Rahman told Al Jazeera. "But there are many other obstacles and challenges in the country."