US President Trump dismantles Syria sanctions program architecture

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to reverse decades-old American sanctions on Syria and “give these guys a chance,” senior administration officials said.

The order dismantles the existing US sanctions architecture on Syria and terminates the national emergency first declared in 2004. It also revokes five executive orders issued by previous administrations that formed the foundation of the sanctions program against Damascus.

During a trip to Riyadh on May 14, Trump said that he would order the lifting of all sanctions on Syria at the request of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A day later, Trump met with Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the first meeting between a US and Syrian head of state since 2000. The US president said al-Sharaa, previously designated as a terrorist by the US, had “a real shot at holding it together” and is a “young, attractive guy, with a very strong past.”

Administration officials emphasized that the new order includes provisions to ensure accountability remains central to US policy toward Syria’s deposed president, Bashar al-Assad, “his cronies, and other regional destabilizing actors.”

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, known as the Caesar Act, was extended last year, after Assad’s government collapsed and fled the country. The law includes secondary sanctions on foreign governments and entities that conduct business with the Syrian regime.

A senior administration official told reporters Monday that the White House had ordered a suspension of Caesar Act sanctions, though they noted that Congress retains the authority to overturn the decision.

In addition to lifting sanctions, the executive order directs waivers for certain export controls and financial dealings with Syrian government institutions, including the state-run telecommunications provider, the central bank, and other financial entities previously targeted by US sanctions.

Although Syria has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979, a second senior administration official said that designation is now under review. “It’s all in the spirit of the President’s directive to lift sanctions and to give the Syrian government, the Syrian people and Syria as a country, a new start,” the official said.
Normalization with Israel and the Abraham Accords

Tom Barrack, Trump’s special envoy for Syria and the US ambassador to Turkey, cited “an opportunity that has never existed before.”

Barrack acknowledged the controversy surrounding the lifting of sanctions on al-Sharaa, a former US-designated terrorist. He compared the current situation in Syria to the founding of the United States.

“It was 12 years until we got a president [after the Declaration of Independence]… and the president was a general, who was George Washington,” Barrack said in a call with reporters, noting that al-Sharaa had only been in power for six months. He described al-Sharaa as the leader of a new country “that needs everything,” and argued that sanctions against the former regime had created a “subculture of survival.”

Barrack added that sanctions were preventing the Syrian government from building its own mandate or political structure. While US officials, including Trump, have said normalization with Israel is a condition for lifting sanctions, Barrack rejected the idea that Washington was dictating Syria’s path forward.

“One thing is clear, neither the president nor the secretary of state is nation-building; they’re not dictating. They’re not giving the framework of the democratic model that needs to be implemented to their architectural desire. They’re saying we are going to give you an opportunity,” Barrack said.

When asked whether lifting all sanctions risked giving up leverage to push Syria toward normalization with Israel—as some Israeli officials have argued—a third senior administration official pushed back.

“First of all, leverage is not what we’re interested in doing,” the official said, noting that the earlier US list of eight conditions presented to Syria had proved unhelpful.

“We consistently say we’re not nation-building, and every one of those toggles that we provide on any government is another string that only causes frustration,” the official said, insisting it was in Syria’s interest to “lean toward” Israel.

The official also noted that Syria’s interim president had expressed interest in initiating normalization talks with Israel. “So, the way to entice [Syria] to get to the Abraham Accords is to make it fruitful for them on an economic basis, on a civilization basis, on a peace and prosperity basis. And that’s all coming together,” the official added.
Regional shifts following Iran-Israel war

US officials said other countries in the region have begun engaging in talks to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. The third official said the recent war between Israel and Iran had created an unprecedented opening.

Intelligence services from multiple countries, including those without formal ties to Israel, are now reportedly cooperating on security matters.

“In addition… [there are] bilateral talks going on between Lebanon and Israel, between Turkey and Israel, between Azerbaijan and Israel, between Armenia and Israel,” the official said.