‘Everyone’s scrambling to understand’: Trump surprises Washington with unexpected Syria sanctions decision

NEW YORK, May 15 — President Donald Trump’s announcement in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to lift all sanctions on Syria took many in the region by surprise, offering relief to a country devastated by 13 years of conflict.

The move also caught some within his own administration off guard.

Senior officials at the State and Treasury Departments scrambled to figure out how to dismantle sanctions that have been in place for decades, according to four US officials familiar with the matter.

The White House had not issued any prior memorandum or directive to sanctions officials at State or Treasury to prepare for lifting the sanctions, nor had it alerted them of the imminent announcement, one senior official told Reuters.

The abrupt removal of sanctions reflected a typical Trump-style move — a sudden decision, a dramatic declaration, and a shock not only to allies but to some officials responsible for implementing the change.

After the announcement, confusion remained over how the administration would unravel the complex layers of sanctions, which specific measures would be eased, and when the process would begin.

Even by the time Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, officials at State and Treasury were still uncertain about how to proceed, the senior official added.

“Everyone is trying to figure out how to implement it,” the official said regarding the president’s decision.

Since the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad late last year, State and Treasury officials had prepared memos and options to guide the government on lifting Syria sanctions if the administration chose to move forward.

However, senior White House, national security officials, and some Capitol Hill lawmakers have debated for months whether to ease sanctions given Sharaa’s past ties to al-Qaeda—a relationship severed by the Syrian leader in 2016

Prior to Trump’s Saudi visit, there was no clear indication to officials at State and Treasury that a decision had been made, the senior US official said.

Neither the State Department nor the Treasury Department responded immediately to requests for comment.

A White House official told Reuters that Turkey and Saudi Arabia had urged Trump to lift sanctions and meet with Sharaa. In his announcement, Trump said he acted to offer Syria a chance for a better future.

Complex Process

Trump’s decision may not have been entirely unexpected.

Senior Syrian officials visited Washington last month and lobbied strongly for the removal of all sanctions, said Jonathan Schanzer, former senior Treasury official and executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who met with them during their visit.

Still, easing Syria sanctions is unlikely to happen quickly.

The White House said Trump asked Syria to meet several conditions in exchange for sanctions relief, including expelling all foreign terrorists, deporting “Palestinian terrorists,” and assisting the US in preventing ISIS’s resurgence.

Sanctions removal is rarely straightforward and usually requires coordination among various agencies and Congress.

It is especially complicated in Syria’s case, due to numerous measures cutting the country off from the international banking system and restricting many imports.

The US first designated Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1979 and has since imposed additional sanctions, especially after the 2011 uprising against Assad.

Edward Fishman, a former US official and author of Chokepoints, said that lifting Syria sanctions—imposed through a mix of executive orders and statutes—could take months. However, the Treasury Department has experience with easing sanctions, as seen in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal

One major hurdle is the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, passed in 2019 and extended after Syria’s government fell late last year. The law imposes tough sanctions on Assad’s regime and secondary sanctions on companies or governments dealing with it.

Repealing the act would require congressional approval, though it allows the president to suspend sanctions for national security reasons. Trump could also issue a general license to suspend some or all sanctions.

Fishman said it’s unlikely every sanction would be lifted under Trump’s directive. Certain individuals or entities tied to specific behaviors, like supporting terrorist groups, might remain on the sanctions list. — Reuters