President Donald Trump, during a Tuesday speech in Saudi Arabia, announced he was lifting sanctions on Syria.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said to applause. Sitting in the audience, de facto Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman clasped his chest in an expression of gratitude.
Trump is expected to meet with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa—formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani—in Riyadh on Wednesday. Sharaa’s militant group HTS overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad last December, and the new president is trying to establish international legitimacy.
Trump’s announcement marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy. America had imposed severe sanctions against Syria to cripple the Assad government and punish its human rights violations. Critics said the restrictions inflicted suffering on the Syrian people while Assad and other elites continued living in luxury.
Trump is in the Middle East for a four-day tour of the Gulf, the first major foreign trip of his second term. Saudi Arabia was the first foreign destination in his first term as well.
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