WASHINGTON — In a pivotal diplomatic shift, the United States on Friday removed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa from its Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) sanctions list, the Treasury Department announced, paving the way for normalized engagement with Damascus nearly a year after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. The decision, which also delisted Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab, follows a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted just a day earlier and underscores a rapid evolution in Western policy toward Syria's transitional government.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated its listings to excise multiple aliases associated with al-Sharaa — including his former nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani — and Khattab, effectively lifting asset freezes, travel bans, and arms embargoes tied to their past affiliations with al-Qaeda-linked groups. This action aligns with broader U.S. efforts under President Donald Trump to rescind most economic sanctions on Syria, a policy reversal initiated in May 2025 via Executive Order 14312, which aimed to foster reconstruction and counter Iranian influence in the region.
The move arrives on the eve of al-Sharaa's landmark visit to the White House on Monday, marking the first time a Syrian head of state has stepped foot in Washington since the country's independence in 1946. Trump, who has praised al-Sharaa as a "tough guy" with whom he "got along very well," is expected to discuss Syria's integration into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, potential security pacts with Israel, and billions in reconstruction aid. "Syria has a chance," Trump remarked Thursday, echoing sentiments from his May meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh, where the U.S. leader first signaled a willingness to lift barriers to Damascus's reintegration.
The UN Security Council's Resolution 2799, drafted and championed by the U.S., passed Thursday with 14 votes in favor and one abstention from China, removing al-Sharaa and Khattab from the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions regime. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz hailed the vote as a "strong political signal" acknowledging Syria's "new phase" post-Assad, emphasizing the transitional government's commitments to combating terrorism, dismantling chemical weapons stockpiles, and curbing narcotics trafficking. The resolution's near-unanimity — including support from traditional adversaries Russia and France — reflects a rare consensus on Syria, driven by al-Sharaa's diplomatic overtures since seizing power in December 2024.
Al-Sharaa, speaking from the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, welcomed the UN decision as "a step in the right direction," crediting collaborative efforts by the U.S., Russia, China, and others for facilitating Syria's return to the international stage. "This requires everyone to have good relations with Syria, and for Syria to reciprocate," he told reporters, underscoring his administration's focus on reciprocity and regional stability. Syria's Foreign Ministry echoed this optimism, describing the delisting as validation of Damascus's "positive role" in enhancing security and sustainable development.
This cascade of relief measures builds on a whirlwind of diplomatic activity since al-Sharaa's HTS-led coalition toppled Assad in a swift offensive that ended 13 years of civil war and five decades of Ba'athist rule. Born Ahmad Hussein al-Sharaa in 1982 in Riyadh to a Syrian family, he rose through jihadist ranks after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, where he fought American forces and endured detention at Abu Ghraib prison. Returning to Syria amid the 2011 uprising, al-Sharaa founded Jabhat al-Nusra in 2012 as al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, earning a $10 million U.S. bounty for orchestrating attacks that killed hundreds.
By 2016, he publicly severed ties with al-Qaeda, rebranding Nusra as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2017 to project a more nationalist, governance-oriented image. Under his leadership, HTS consolidated control over Idlib province, establishing the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) — a technocratic administration that managed services for over 3 million people, incentivized private investment, and maintained relative stability amid the war's chaos. Critics, however, accused HTS of suppressing dissent, with reports of arbitrary detentions and torture targeting opponents. Al-Sharaa has denied these claims, vowing accountability for any abuses during the anti-Assad campaign.
The December 2024 offensive, dubbed "Operation Victory," saw HTS and allied factions — including Turkish-backed Syrian National Army units — overrun Damascus in days, forcing Assad to flee to Russia. Al-Sharaa dissolved HTS in January 2025, assuming the interim presidency at the "Victory Conference" in Damascus, where 18 factions pledged to unify under a national army. He suspended the 2012 constitution, dissolved parliament, and outlined a three-year timeline for a new charter, census, and elections, emphasizing inclusivity for Syria's diverse ethnic and religious mosaic.
Post-Assad, al-Sharaa has crisscrossed the globe, mending fences with former adversaries. His May Paris meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron yielded pledges for humanitarian aid; a Riyadh summit with Trump unlocked initial sanctions waivers; and September's UN General Assembly speech called for full embargo lifts, branding Syria an "opportunity for peace." Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, viewing him as a bulwark against Iran, have funneled reconstruction funds estimated at $15 billion, while Turkey — HTS's longtime patron — brokers ceasefires in Kurdish-held northeast Syria.
Yet challenges persist. China's UN abstention stemmed from concerns over HTS's integration of Uyghur militants from the Turkestan Islamic Party, highlighting Beijing's wariness of Islamist networks. Domestically, al-Sharaa grapples with factional tensions: Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces remain autonomous in the east, Druze militias in Suwayda resist centralization, and sporadic clashes with Assad loyalists in coastal Latakia underscore fragile unity. Human rights groups like Amnesty International urge scrutiny of HTS-era abuses, while Israel — which seized the Golan Heights buffer zone in 2024 — eyes al-Sharaa's overtures warily, despite U.S.-brokered talks on a security pact. Reports of a potential U.S. military footprint at Damascus's Mezzeh airbase for monitoring purposes have been denied by Syrian officials.
Economically, the sanctions relief is a lifeline. Syria's GDP contracted 80% under Assad due to war and embargoes like the 2019 Caesar Act, which targeted regime cronies but starved civilians of basics. Lifting SDGT designations clears hurdles for banking, trade, and investment, potentially unlocking Gulf petrodollars for infrastructure revival. Al-Sharaa has wooed expatriate investors, promising a "modern Syria" free of its "wretched past." Early signs are promising: oil production in Deir ez-Zor has ticked up 20%, and Idlib's SSG model is scaling nationwide, with schools and hospitals reopening.
The UK's parallel delisting of al-Sharaa and Khattab on Friday, coupled with the EU's confirmation of imminent action, amplifies this momentum. London cited Syria's "efforts to enhance regional security," while Brussels eyes normalized ties to stabilize migration flows. On X (formerly Twitter), reactions ranged from cautious optimism — with users noting the EU's follow-through — to skepticism, as Amnesty highlighted lingering accountability gaps.
As al-Sharaa boards his flight to Washington, the delistings symbolize more than paperwork: they herald Syria's pivot from pariah to partner, contingent on sustained reforms. For a nation scarred by 500,000 deaths and 13 million displaced, this could be the "fighting shot" Trump envisions — or a high-stakes gamble on a former jihadist's redemption arc. With Monday's summit looming, the world watches whether al-Sharaa's "new Syria" can deliver on promises of peace, prosperity, and pluralism.
