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The United States on Friday lifted sweeping economic sanctions on Syria, signaling a major policy shift following the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and opening the door for new investment in the war-ravaged country.
The Treasury Department announced the immediate sanctions relief through a general license that authorizes transactions previously prohibited under the Syrian Sanctions Regulations.
“As President Trump promised, the Treasury Department and the State Department are implementing authorizations to encourage new investment into Syria,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Syria must also continue to work towards becoming a stable country that is at peace, and today’s actions will hopefully put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous, and stable future.”
During a visit to the Middle East last week, President Donald Trump said he would lift the “brutal and crippling” U.S. sanctions on Syria to give the country “a chance at greatness.”"
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the new general license enables investment and private sector activity aimed at supporting economic recovery.
Concurrently, the State Department is issuing a waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, known as the Caesar Act, to allow foreign partners, allies, and regional stakeholders to contribute to rebuilding efforts.
“This is just one part of a broader U.S. government effort to remove the full architecture of sanctions imposed on Syria due to the abuses of the Bashar al-Assad regime,” the statement added.
The U.S. government emphasized that the relief was extended to the new government with the expectation that Syria will not become a “safe haven” for terror groups and will protect its religious and ethnic minorities.
The authorization is also aimed at helping to restore Syria’s economy, financial systems and infrastructure, according to the statement.
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