US plans gradual sanctions rollback to support Syria’s recovery

The United States is poised to grant some sanctions relief to Syria in the coming weeks after President Donald Trump declared he would lift all sanctions targeting Damascus. 

On May 15, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed plans to issue waivers under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which had imposed strict sanctions on Bashar al-Assad’s regime and secondary sanctions on those dealing with Damascus, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

A Trump administration official, speaking anonymously, indicated that the Treasury Department "would likely issue general licenses covering a broad range of the economy that is critical to rebuilding in the coming weeks."

Trump announced his plan to lift all sanctions on Syria, a move that caught many within his administration by surprise and left the Treasury and State Departments working urgently to determine how to unwind the existing sanctions framework.

Speaking to reporters in Antalya, Türkiye, Rubio said: "The US wants to do everything it can to help achieve a peaceful, stable Syria as the country emerges from 13 years of war."

He added that members of both the Republican and Democratic parties in Congress had requested the administration to use waiver authorities under the Caesar Act to ease sanctions.

"That's what the president intends to do. Those waivers have to be renewed every 180 days. Ultimately, if we make enough progress, we'd like to see the law repealed, because you're going to struggle to find people to invest in a country when in six months sanctions could come back," Rubio said. "We're not there yet, that's premature."

While repealing the bill would require congressional approval, the law allows the president to suspend sanctions on national security grounds. Trump could also issue a general licence suspending some or all sanctions.

"I think as we make progress, hopefully we'll be in a position soon, or one day, to go to Congress and ask them to permanently remove the sanctions," Rubio added.

Preparations to implement the sanctions relief are already underway. Syria’s foreign minister visited Washington two weeks ago, and efforts to manage the sanctions under the Caesar Act are ongoing, Rubio said.

Lifting US sanctions, which have largely isolated Syria from the global financial system, could pave the way for greater humanitarian engagement, foreign investment, and trade as Syria begins the process of rebuilding.

Trump defended the decision, saying the sanctions had served their purpose but now it was time for Syria to move forward.

The Treasury Department said in a post on X on May 15 that it was collaborating with the State Department and the National Security Council to execute the president’s directive.

"We look forward to implementing the necessary authorizations that would be critical to bringing new investment into Syria," the department said. "Treasury's actions can help rebuild Syria's economy, financial sector, and infrastructure and could put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous, and stable future."

By Aghakazim Guliyev