Overview

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 30 formally ending the U.S. sanctions program on Syria, fulfilling his May pledge in Riyadh and building on earlier Treasury waivers.
• The order revokes five prior executive directives and terminates the 2004 national emergency that underpinned broad trade bans and financial restrictions.
• Sanctions will continue to apply to former president Bashar al-Assad, his inner circle, individuals linked to chemical weapons, drug trafficking, human rights abuses, ISIS affiliates and Iranian proxies.
• The executive action instructs the State Department to review Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and reassess foreign terrorist listings for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Ahmed al-Sharaa.
• Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani hailed the decision as a turning point that will unlock reconstruction, infrastructure rehabilitation and the dignified return of displaced Syrians.