President Donald Trump lifted American sanctions to Syria on Monday, signing an executive order to carry out a promise he made in May.
The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists before Trump’s action was designed to “promote and support the country’s path towards stability and peace.”
When he met with the new president of Syria, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, last month, Trump announced that he would lift the US sanctions against Syria and urged Al-Sharaa to meet the conditions specified with the hope that he would stabilize the country.
These conditions included the normalization of relations with the residents of Syria, including Israel, as well as the United States.
Ahmad Al-Sharaa is a former insurgent from Al-Qaeda who fought against US forces in Iraq and fulfilled time at the infamous Abu Ghraib Priso
The interim president of Syria, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, observes during a joint press conference with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on February 4, 2025.
Francisco Seco/AP
The senior Trump administration officials who planned the action of the president who finished the Syrian sanctions program said that the architecture of the program established by the Executive Branch was dismantled while maintaining provisions aimed at Bashar al Assad, its collaborators and other destabilizing forces that are still working in the region.
The United States ambassador to Turkey and the special envoy of the Administration for Syria Tom Barrack issued the Executive Order, which intends to work together with the general exemption that significantly facilitated the sanctions issued by the United States in May, as a movement of the president to “give these types a chance”, referring to the interim government of Syria.
“You have a general who made the transition from war to a position of being the leader of a new reformed country that needs everything, and that is basically what happened, but vision and execution were limited by our imposition of sanctions,” he said. “Syria needs to have a chance, and that is what happened.”
Barrack also said that the purpose of driving Trump was not to maintain leverage on the newly formed government.
“But one thing is clear, neither the president nor the Secretary of State are building the nation. They are not dictating, they do not require. They are not giving the framework of the democratic model that must be implemented to their architecture or desire. We are saying that we are going to give a chance. We have a lot of criteria that we want to observe on the way,” he said, he refers to the abroad chords of the forestry of the integrality, which we integrate, that we integrate, that we integrate, that we integrate, that we integrate, that we integrate, which we integrate, that we integrate, that we integrate, that we integrate, that we integrate. He fought against ISIS and other problems.
Brad Smith, the action under the secretary of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence in the Department of the Treasury, spoke about the most technical aspects of the order and emphasized that it would allow the administration to retain the restrictions “when appropriate.”
“The importance of this moment cannot be exaggerated,” said Smith. “While we continue with the hope of the future of the country and its new government, we also have the eyes clear that peace threats remain, the United States will always remain attentive when our interests and security are threatened, and the treasure will not hesitate to use our authorities to protect international and American financial systems.
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the Democratic Republic of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Congo, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, Olivier Nduhungyrehe, at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on June 27, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP through Getty Images
Abraham agreements
A senior administration official insisted that the Trump administration was not looking to maintain “leverage” on Syrian authorities, since it seeks to encourage its leadership to sign Abraham’s agreements.
“Leverage is not what we are interested in doing. The president broken down the sanctions without any condition,” they said. “It is for Syria’s benefit to lean towards Israel.”
The senior administration official continued to observe that it has been reported that Syria and Israel have had conversations “based on Channal.”
“Then, the way to attract them to reach Abraham’s agreements is to make it fruitful for them on an economic basis, on a basis of civilization, on peace and prosperity, and all that is joining. And what happened between Israel and Iran gives that window,” said the official. “So we are not interested in taking advantage of them.”
Despite the action on Monday and the previous suspension of many sanctions against Syria, a senior administration official acknowledged that more Congress measures can permanently lift the sanctions.
“Now we are, in accordance with the Executive Order, we will analyze the suspension criteria for the César Law,” said the official.
The 2019 César Syrian Civil Protection Law improved sanctions to any foreign entity that participated in significant transactions in the Syrian government. The Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in May, issued a 180 -day exemption from the sanctions of the César Law.
“Ultimately, Congress has the power to repeal the law,” said the official on Monday.
Bill Hutchinson and Kelsey Walsh of ABC News contributed to this story.
