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President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he is ordering the “cessation” of U.S. sanctions on Syria, seemingly bringing an end to the U.S.’s decades-long economic suppression of the country as he cozies up to Saudi Arabian leaders.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in a speech at an investment forum in Riyadh, on the first of his four-day visit to the Middle East. “It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off.”
Trump’s announcement was met with applause from the crowd, as he acknowledged the new government formed after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December. He said that he is lifting the sanctions at the urging of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, fondly saying, “oh, what I do for the crown prince.”
The president is also set to meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was until recently the leader of the rebel group that overthrew the Assad regime last year.
The announcement came after the White House announced a $600 billion investment deal with Saudi Arabia, following Trump’s meeting with MBS. This includes a $142 billion weapons sale to the country — touted by the White House as the “largest defense sales agreement in history.”
The U.S. has long maintained sanctions on Syria, with the U.S. designating the country as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979. These sanctions were escalated by the Obama administration in 2011.
Human rights experts and advocates have long said that the wide-reaching sanctions on Syria, from the U.S. and other Western countries, have amounted to collective punishment of the people of Syria. They have created numerous humanitarian crises, hitting every sector of Syria’s economy; fueling hunger and poverty; and failing at their supposed purpose of overthrowing the Assad regime or otherwise bringing peace for decades on end.
In fact, human rights experts have noted that sanctions are currently serving as a roadblock toward rebuilding after the Assad regime.
However, the Trump administration is not motivated by alleviating human rights concerns. In fact, rights groups have said that his second term has thus far been marked by egregious attacks on human rights both in the U.S. and across the world.
Rather, as he effectively admitted, Trump likely views the lifting of the sanctions as a way to further consolidate his own power and influence during his visit to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia — three countries with a history of dire human rights abuses.
Analysts have noted that Trump’s primary interest for this trip is striking business deals, including ones that enrich him personally, like accepting a $400 million luxury jet as a gift from Qatar.
The announcement also comes after Sharaa reportedly pitched Trump’s team on creating a Trump Tower in Damascus and giving the U.S. access to Syrian fossil fuels, according to Reuters, in efforts to get a meeting with Trump during his visit.
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