President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Monday formally ending U.S. sanctions on Syria, in a major foreign policy reversal that follows a series of diplomatic overtures between Washington and Damascus.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision was intended to “promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace”. While the general sanctions regime will be lifted, targeted restrictions will remain in place against former President Bashar al-Assad, his associates, and others involved in rights abuses, chemical weapons activity and terror operations.
“This is another promise made and promise kept,” Leavitt told reporters, referring to Trump’s remarks during his visit to Saudi Arabia last month.
The move follows the Biden-era sanctions carve-out granted in May, which eased restrictions on certain transactions. Trump had used that opening to push forward on a broader rollback of punitive measures imposed during Syria’s long civil war.
During a landmark meeting in Riyadh on 14 May, Trump met interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa for the first time. He pledged to lift sanctions and explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic ties — a step not seen in U.S. policy toward Syria for decades.
The encounter came a day after Trump addressed the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, calling the sanctions “crushing and counterproductive”.
The European Union has also announced plans to lift nearly all of its remaining sanctions on Syria, aligning with the U.S. shift.
Al-Sharaa, who now leads a transitional government following the flight of Bashar al-Assad to Russia in December 2024, has vowed to end Syria’s isolation and rebuild relations with former adversaries. Assad's departure marked the fall of the Baathist regime that had held power since 1963.
The executive order is expected to take effect immediately upon signing.
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The United States and Israel have carried out large-scale strikes on Iranian leadership and military targets, with Iranian state media confirming that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. At least nine people were reported dead in clashes near the U.S. consulate in Karachi.
A number of senior Iranian figures have reportedly been killed in Saturday’s joint U.S.–Israeli airstrikes on Iran, according to Iranian state media, Israeli military statements and international reporting. Some of the details remain unverified. .
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Governments across the region responded swiftly to Israel’s strikes on Iran, closing airspace, issuing travel advisories and activating contingency plans amid fears of escalation.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the clerical member of Iran’s temporary leadership council under Article 111 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. At least nine people were reported dead in clashes near the U.S. consulate in Karachi.
Afghanistan said it had fired at Pakistani aircraft over Kabul after explosions and gunfire rocked the capital early on Sunday, marking a sharp escalation in fighting between the two neighbours.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Cuba has released extensive details of a deadly midweek shootout at sea, showing rifles, pistols and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition that it says were carried by a group of exiles who attempted to enter the island by speedboat.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said on Friday (27 February) they were ready to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in several Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, and Islamabad declared the neighbours were now in "open war".
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