Trump says US will remove Syria from terrorism sanctions list, Ahmed Sala says after NATO meeting
(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump When he met with Syrian President Ahmed Salat on the sidelines of the meeting, he said the United States would remove Syria from the terrorism sanctions list. NATO summit.
“I think I will. Why wouldn’t I? He’s doing a great job,” Trump said Wednesday. “Yes, I will.”
Trump paid new tribute to the Syrian leader, a former jihadist who had a $10 million bounty on his head, welcoming him to the White House last year and lifting decades-old economic sanctions on his country. Although Trump has lifted some restrictions on Syria, the country remains on the U.S. State Department’s list of “state sponsors of terrorism.”
Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio Trump said in a statement on Wednesday that he had notified Congress of his intention to revoke Syria’s designation on the list “after a 45-day advance notice period.”
“Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock the door to international trade and investment, giving Syria the opportunity to rebuild and start a new chapter for the Syrian people,” Rubio said.
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The Trump administration’s move is part of a broader strategic focus to engage the government damascus and helped Salad drum up international support to rebuild a country shattered by a brutal civil war. The United States has aligned itself with Türkiye, host of the NATO summit, to help the country unify.
More broadly, Syria is a country where the United States and Iran have been vying for influence, complicating Washington’s efforts to achieve a broader peace with Tehran.
Trump’s efforts to help support al-Sharaa have alarmed Israel, which sees Damascus as a long-term adversary.
Last month, Trump expressed dismay at Israel’s military campaign against Iran-backed Lebanon’s Hezbollah and suggested Syria might do a better job fighting the militant group. Sala said Damascus could support stability in Lebanon but ruled out military intervention.
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Tensions between the two countries increased late last year after Israel carried out military strikes on Syrian targets, with Damascus calling on its neighbor to withdraw its troops and cease operations on its territory. Israel says it needs to keep them there to prevent attacks similar to those carried out by Hamas in October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Asked if he still wanted Syria to help Hezbollah, Trump said “it might help.”
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Salad once led an al-Qaeda affiliate and was designated a terrorist by the United States in 2013. He renounced allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2016 and seized power from Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
His meetings on the sidelines of the NATO summit are likely to further boost his international standing. Syria still faces many obstacles as it seeks to rebuild from its civil war, including sectarian tensions, the Islamic State threat and Kurdish-controlled territory, in addition to economic pressures.
–With assistance from Courtney Subramanian and Eric Martin.
