The US Treasury Department on Friday issued a general license for Syria to provide immediate sanctions relief after President Donald Trump announced that he would cease all sanctions on Syria.
“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,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
During a trip to Riyadh earlier this month, 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.”
The waivers do not allow for transactions that benefit Russia, Iran, or North Korea and are intended to help rebuild Syria’s economy, financial sector, and infrastructure, in line with US foreign policy interests, according to the Treasury Department.
The license will enable new investment and private sector activity “consistent with the President’s America First strategy.”
Meanwhile, Treasury said the State Department will also issue a waiver under the Caesar Act that will enable foreign partners, allies, and the region to further unlock Syria’s potential.
“The Assad regime’s brutality against its own people and support for terrorism in the region has come to an end, and a new chapter unfolds for the Syrian people,” the statement read.
Washington said it was committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors.
“US sanctions relief has been extended to the new Syrian government with the understanding that the country will not offer a safe haven for terrorist organizations and will ensure the security of its religious and ethnic minorities. The US will continue monitoring Syria’s progress and developments on the ground.”
Al Arabiya
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