Syrian foreign minister meets U.S. officials in Washington

U.S. Treasury and State Department officials held talks on Thursday in Washington with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, the Treasury Department announced.

The visit, the first by a Syrian foreign minister to the United States in more than 25 years, comes as Damascus seeks the permanent lifting of remaining U.S. sanctions.

“Treasury is working with Syria to responsibly and safely reconnect its economy to the global financial system while combating the financing of terrorism,” the department said in a post on X, the U.S. social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Those present included U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, senior Treasury officials, and members of Shaibani’s delegation, including Qutaiba Idlbi, director of American affairs at the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

According to Axios, Shaibani is scheduled to meet U.S. senators to discuss the permanent removal of sanctions imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which targeted the Assad government for war crimes during the civil war.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on 30 June to terminate the U.S. sanctions programme on Syria, though measures linked to human rights abuses, chemical weapons activity and drug trafficking remain in place.

The visit follows Trump’s announcement in May 2025 at a Saudi investment forum that he intended to lift the “brutal and crippling” Syria sanctions. A day later, Trump met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, marking the first meeting between U.S. and Syrian leaders in 25 years.

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