Trump to Remove US Sanctions on Syria, Asks Sharaa to Normalize Ties with Israel
Riyadh (Quds News Network)- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would remove all sanctions against Syria. On Wednesday, Trump asked Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to normalize ties with Israel.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump told an investment forum in Riyadh.
“It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off,” Trump said, “Good luck Syria, show us something very special.”
Trump said that he made the decision after discussing it with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, and killing in many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade,” he said.
Trump met with al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday for a little over half hour — the highest-level engagement to date between the new Syrian government and the Trump administration.
The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, also welcomed the announcement, saying the lifting of sanctions is imperative to allow the delivery of essential services like health care and education and to revive the economy.
The US move comes after the United Kingdom and European Union lifted some, but not all, of their sanctions on Syria earlier this year.
Normalize Ties with Israel
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump also urged al-Sharaa to expel foreign “terrorists” from Syria, deport “Palestinian terrorists”, cooperate with the U.S. to prevent the resurgence of ISIS and assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in northeast Syria. Trump and al-Sharaa met on the sidelines of a gathering of Gulf Cooperation Council leaders.
Today, President Trump, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. President Erdogan of Turkey joined by phone. President Erdogan praised President Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria and committed to working alongside Saudi… pic.twitter.com/0yhyZbQ1o0
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) May 14, 2025
