United States Lifts Sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Charaa

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Friday the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syrian President Ahmed al-Charaa and his Minister of the Interior, Anas Khattab, just one day after the United Nations Security Council made the same decision.

In a statement published on its official website, the U.S. Treasury said that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had updated its sanctions list to remove the names of Charaa and Khattab.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution lifting sanctions targeting President Charaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab.

The resolution, submitted by the United States, was approved by 14 of the Council’s 15 member states, with China abstaining.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that the adoption of this resolution “sends a strong political message, recognizing that Syria has entered a new era.”

He added that Syrian President Ahmed al-Charaa “is working diligently to fulfill his country’s commitments in the fight against terrorism.”

For his part, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Cheibani welcomed the Council’s decision, expressing gratitude toward the United States and friendly nations. In a post on the X platform, he stated that Syrian diplomacy “reaffirms its active presence and its ability to make steady progress in removing obstacles and paving the way toward a more open and stable Syrian future.”

This development coincides with the announcement of an upcoming visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Charaa to the United States. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said earlier this week that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet Charaa at the White House next Monday, noting that the visit “is part of President Trump’s efforts to promote global peace.”

She added: “During his recent tour of the Middle East, the President made a historic decision to lift sanctions on Syria in order to give it a real opportunity for peace. We believe Washington expects meaningful progress on this front under Syria’s new leadership.”

Since taking office following the ousting of former president Bashar al-Assad last December, Ahmed al-Charaa has undertaken a series of international visits as part of his transitional government’s efforts to rebuild relations with major global powers that had long shunned Damascus under Assad’s rule.