RIYADH, Saudi Arabia โ In a significant diplomatic move, President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to alleviate sanctions on Syria and work toward establishing normal relations with its newly formed government, offering the nation โa chance at peace.โ His declaration was made on the eve of a scheduled meeting in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former insurgent leader who successfully ousted Bashar Assad from power last year.
This initiative to improve ties was influenced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the effective leader of Saudi Arabia, alongside support from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump expressed his optimism regarding Syriaโs future, stating, โThere is a new government that will hopefully succeed,โ and wishing the country well in its post-conflict journey.
For al-Sharaa, who had been imprisoned in Iraq due to his involvement in the insurgency following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, this development marks a significant turn. He assumed the Syrian presidency in January after leading a remarkable offensive by insurgent factions, including his own group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which captured Damascus and ended over five decades of Assad family rule.
The United States, since al-Sharaaโs rise to power, had been contemplating how to engage with the new leadership in Syria. Gulf nations have been supportive of Damascusโ new regime, encouraging Trump to follow suit with hopes of countering Iranโs influence, which had been sustained under Assad during a lengthy civil war. Trump inherited the decision-making on this matter from former President Joe Biden, with no formal U.S. acknowledgment of the new Syrian administration yet official. The sanctions placed on Assadโs Damascus continue to hold.
Prior to Trumpโs remarks, the White House acknowledged that the President had consented to meet briefly with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia. The announcement marked a significant policy shift and brought Trump into disagreement with the longstanding U.S. ally, Israel, which remains skeptical of al-Sharaaโs militant background and harbors concerns about hastily acknowledging his government.
Al-Sharaa, who was once known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, was aligned with al-Qaida insurgents against U.S. forces in Iraq and remains wanted there on terrorism charges. The U.S. had previously placed a $10 million bounty for information leading to his capture due to his al-Qaida affiliations. However, he returned to Syria when conflict erupted in 2011 and led a faction formerly known as the Nusra Front, later rebranding it as HTS and severing his al-Qaida ties.
The pending meeting would mark the first encounter between a Syrian leader and an American president since the year 2000, when Hafez Assad met with President Bill Clinton in Geneva. Historically, U.S.-Syrian relations have been strained, dating back to the Cold War era when Syria aligned closely with the Soviet Union and subsequently emerged as Iranโs key ally in the Arab world. The ouster of the Assad regime could alter this historical trajectory.
Ibrahim Hamidi, a Syrian analyst based in London, views Trumpโs intended discussion with al-Sharaa as a โstrategic shiftโ for Syria. He noted, โThe Syrian-American meetings in Riyadh open the gate for the two sides to start discussing issues of disagreement between them in a positive atmosphere. This is important,โ reflecting the potential for new dialogue and rapprochement.