Trump signs executive order lifting Syria sanctions

President Donald Trump signed an executive order formally revoking longstanding U.S. sanctions on Syria and terminating the national emergency first declared in 2004, citing major political changes in the country and “positive actions” by its new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The executive order, signed on Monday, follows the December 2024 ousting of Bashar al-Assad and marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy toward Syria, a country that has faced years of economic and diplomatic isolation over human rights abuses, ties to terrorism, and the use of chemical weapons during the civil war that began in 2011.

Effective July 1, the order terminates the national emergency declared in 2004 and revokes five subsequent Syria-related orders issued between 2004 and 2011.

The Treasury, State, and Commerce departments are directed to coordinate the removal of sanctions and update licensing and export regulations.

“The circumstances that gave rise to previous sanctions have been transformed,” the executive order states. Trump said the new policy reflects support for “a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors.”

The order does not apply to individuals or entities tied to terrorist groups, chemical weapons use, human rights abuses, or Syria’s former regime. Instead, it expands existing sanctions targeting former Assad-era officials and individuals involved in narcotics trafficking.

The directive also authorizes a review of Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, though no immediate changes to that status were announced.

The action follows Trump’s announcement in May at the Saudi–U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, where he declared that “it’s their time to shine,” referring to Syria’s new leadership. Trump said the decision was made in consultation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The new government in Damascus, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa—a former commander of the Turkish-backed group Tahrir al-Sham, which previously severed ties with al-Qaeda—took power after opposition forces seized the capital in a rapid offensive late last year. Assad fled the country on December 8 and was granted asylum in Russia.