Sanctions have been suspended for 180 days on Syria, except for some transactions involving Russia and Iran, the U.S. State Department announced Monday.
The announcement came on the same day that Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived at the White House for discussions with President Donald Trump, marking the first official visit by a Syrian president to Washington D.C., since the country's independence in 1946, Al Jazeera reported.
Trump and al-Sharaa first met in Saudi Arabia. The two agreed to meet just days after the U.S. removed the Syrian leader from a terrorist sanctions list.
Despite the temporary sanctions suspension, the Caesar Act remains in effect and can only be repealed in full by Congress, according to Middle East Eye.
The Caesar Act is a U.S. law that imposes sanctions on Syrian individuals, businesses, and government institutions supporting the Syrian regime.
The act was designed in 2019 to hold Syria accountable for war crimes.
Experts say that keeping the sanctions in limbo is deterring investment at a time when Syria's economy urgently needs a boost.
For example, the World Bank estimates Syria's reconstruction costs at about $200 billion. While Gulf states have pledged investments in Syria, those deals have been slow to materialize, partly because of the lingering Caesar sanctions.
The White House has been pressing Congress to lift the sanctions, although those efforts have been hampered by the government shutdown, with Congress not currently in session.
However, Middle East Eye reported that the House and Senate have been working on an amendment to the 2026 Defense Authorization Act to repeal the sanctions.
The State Department announcement said that Trump is committed to giving Damascus "a chance at greatness" allowing the Syrians to rebuild and thrive by lifting U.S. sanctions and ensuring accountability for harmful actors.
The U.S. government has adopted new policies and regulatory posture to encourage American businesses and banks, the international community, the Syrian people, and regional partners to contribute to Syria's stability while denying resources to harmful actors.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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