U.S. Treasury Announces Removal of Sanctions Lists Against Syria

SadaNews - The U.S. Department of the Treasury published, today Monday, the final decision to remove the sanctions lists against Syria, following a previous order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the sanctions system imposed by Washington on Damascus.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the department announced in an official notice that it will remove the sanctions lists on Syria from the "Federal Register."

This decision comes as a result of ending the national emergency that those lists were based on, and conducting additional changes in U.S. policy towards Syria.

On June 30, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that terminated the legal framework of U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, which came into effect on July 1.

These sanctions were originally intended to penalize Bashar al-Assad's regime, but later became an obstacle to the country's recovery post-war.

Meanwhile, the sanctions imposed on former President Bashar al-Assad, his close associates, and individuals involved in human rights violations or terrorism, or the proliferation of weapons, or Captagon smuggling remain in place.

The decision does not revoke Syria's classification as a "state sponsor of terrorism" that was imposed in 1979, which includes restrictions on U.S. aid and bans on arms exports. A U.S. administration official stated that this classification is still under review.

Caesar Act

The "Caesar Act to Protect Syrian Civilians" remains in effect, which imposed extensive financial sanctions to isolate the Assad regime.

However, the Trump administration granted a six-month exemption from the Caesar Act last June, along with a general license allowing transactions that were previously prohibited, including dealings with the Central Bank of Syria and other government institutions.

Members from both parties in Congress introduced a bill to repeal the Caesar Act, and its repeal is likely to be included in an amendment to the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act by the end of the year, according to a congressional aide.

This came after a significant shift in U.S. policy towards Syria, following Trump's announcement on May 13 of his intention to lift all sanctions, and his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara.