Washington: The U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to end U.S. sanctions on Syria, aiming to facilitate the country's economic rebuilding after years of civil war.
Lifting restrictions on Syria's access to the international financial system, the move maintains sanctions against key figures linked to the Assad regime, human rights abuses, and terrorist activities.
Syrian officials welcomed the decision, viewing it as a step toward economic recovery and international reintegration. The move follows Trump's meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, where the President Trump indicated intentions to ease sanctions.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said Trump's termination of the Syria sanctions program would "open door of long-awaited reconstruction and development," according to a post by the foreign minister on social media platform X.
He said the move would "lift the obstacle" against economic recovery and open the country to the international community.
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May where, in a major policy shift, Trump unexpectedly announced he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.
The White House said the administration would continue to monitor Syria's progress on key priorities including "taking concrete steps toward normalizing ties with Israel, addressing foreign terrorists, deporting Palestinian terrorists and banning Palestinian terrorist groups."
