CNN
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The Trump administration issued an order on Friday to begin easing sanctions against Syria, showing major policy changes after President Donald Trump pledged to roll back the measures during his trip to the Middle East earlier this month.
Trump administration officials have been engaged quietly for months to pave the way for sanctions relief, in order to help the nation recover and rebuild from years of devastating warfare after the fall of exiled leader Bashar al-Assad.
On Friday, the US Treasury Department said Syria has been issued a general license to approve transactions involving the interim Syrian government, central banks and state-owned enterprises.
The GL25 license “approves transactions prohibited by Syrian sanctions regulations and effectively lifts sanctions against Syria” and “enables new investments and private sector activities that are consistent with the President’s America First Strategy,” the press release said.
The US State Department simultaneously issued a 180-day exemption under the Caesar Act, in order to ensure sanctions do not hinder investment, and has proceeded with efforts to restore and rebuild Syria, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Rubio said the exemptions will promote the provision of electricity, energy, water and sanitation, allowing for more effective humanitarian responses across Syria.
“Today’s actions represent the first step in realizing the President’s vision of new relations between Syria and the United States,” Rubio said.
While in Saudi Arabia, where he met with Syrian interim president Ahmed Alshara last week, Trump announced that sanctions over Syria would be quickly removed, shocking some officials, sparking a US government scramble and scramble to implement the decision.
Rubio said the US would issue an exemption to Syrian sanctions, which are currently mandatory by law. Meanwhile, the administration is engaged in a complex technical review of sanctions, which is expected to take several weeks, officials said.
“If we make enough progress, we want to see the law repealed, because we’ll be struggling to find people to invest in the country in six months, so sanctions could come back. We’re not there yet. That’s too early,” Rubio said.
Speaking in Saudi Arabia, Trump said he had decided to lift the sanctions after speaking with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan.
Saudi officials have been adjusting the topic behind the scenes for months, claiming that removing sanctions will help boost the Syrian economy and stabilize the entire region.
The Turkish government also knew the work being done to contact the US about Syria and see if sanctions could be lifted, a source familiar with the issue said. The Turkish government has expressed support for these efforts.
But not all US allies in the region agreed with where Trump was led. Israel opposed the move, and Trump ignored their objections.
Israeli officials previously said that when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump in Washington in April, he asked the president not to remove Syrian sanctions, fearing that it would lead to repeated events on October 7, 2023.
Last week, Trump admitted that he “didn’t ask” Israel about relief from Syria’s sanctions.
“I thought it was the right thing to do,” he said as he concluded his tour in the Middle East.
