Trump signs executive order ending decades-old Syria sanctions

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that terminates the US government's framework of sanctions on Syria, which was originally designed to punish the former Assad regime but had become a barrier to the country’s post-war recovery.

It comes amid a dramatic shift in US policy on Syria prompted by Trump’s May 13 announcement that he would lift all sanctions and meet with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former jihadi who became the country’s president after spearheading the rebel offensive in December that ended nearly 14 years of civil war. 

Speaking in a phone briefing with reporters, US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack described the executive order as “a blanket opportunity" to help restart Syria's economy. 

“But one thing is clear: Neither the president nor the secretary of state are nation building,” Barrack said. “They're saying, we are going to give you an opportunity.” 

Earlier this month, Al-Monitor first reported that the Trump administration was preparing an executive order that would effectively wipe out the layers of Syria sanctions imposed under past presidential administrations. The order builds on last month’s initial wave of sanctions relief and will help foster the long-term investment required for Syria’s reconstruction, according to senior Trump administration officials. 

The directive, which takes effect Tuesday, will remove the declaration of a 2004 national emergency on Syria and revoke five other executive orders that constituted the basis of the country’s sanctions program. The executive order maintains sanctions on former President Bashar al-Assad, his associates and others blacklisted for human rights abuses in Syria, as well as for terrorism, weapons proliferation or involvement in Captagon trafficking.

It does not revoke Syria’s designation in 1979 as a state sponsor of terrorism, which includes restrictions on US foreign assistance and a ban on defense exports to the country. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior administration official said the designation is under review. 

The executive order directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to also review the designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a label it retains due to its past association with al-Qaeda. The Islamist militant group has controlled Syria’s Idlib province since 2017, where it targeted the Islamic State (ISIS) and the al-Qaeda franchise Hurras al-Din before leading the insurgency that overthrew Assad. 

The new Syrian government includes technocrats, civil society leaders and representatives from across Syria’s minority communities, but the most powerful ministries are headed by HTS figures. The administration official noted the Syrian government’s shared interest in confronting ISIS and Iranian proxies. 

Caesar Act sanctions remain

Broad congressional sanctions intended to financially isolate the Assad regime — known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act — remain on the books. Last month, the Trump administration issued a six-month waiver for the Caesar sanctions as well as a general license authorizing transactions that would otherwise be prohibited, including with Syria’s central bank and other state-owned institutions. 

The executive order also directs Rubio to evaluate suspending Caesar sanctions, either in whole or in part, if specific criteria are met.

Bipartisan members of Congress have introduced legislation to rescind the Caesar Act. Its repeal is most likely to be included as an amendment to the year-end National Defense Authorization Act, a congressional aide said.

This story has been updated since its initial publication.