U.S. Treasury Publishes Decision to Lift Sanctions Against Syria

Sada News - The U.S. Treasury Department published today, Monday, the final decision to lift sanctions against Syria, following a previous order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the sanctions regime imposed by Washington on Damascus.

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

This decision comes as a result of the termination of the national emergency that was the basis for those sanctions, along with additional changes in U.S. policy towards Syria.

On June 30, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that ended the legal framework for U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, which took effect on July 1.

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

Meanwhile, sanctions imposed on former President Bashar al-Assad and his close associates, as well as individuals involved in human rights violations, terrorism, arms proliferation, or Captagon smuggling, remain in effect.

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

Caesar Act

The "Caesar Act for the Protection of 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 have 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 at the end of the year, according to a congressional aide.

This follows a significant shift in U.S. policy towards Syria, after Trump announced on May 13 his intention to lift all sanctions and met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara.