United States President Donald Trump announced he will be lifting all sanctions against Syria in an address given in Riyadh on Tuesday shortly after landing in Saudi Arabia as part of a four-day trip to the Middle East. 

“I will be ordering cessation of sanctions against Syria,” Trump said. “Now it’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off.”

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani credited Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts for the announcement.

 “I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—its leadership, government, and people,” he wrote in a statement on X. “For the sincere efforts they have made in supporting efforts to lift the unjust sanctions on Syria.”

This comes as a source from the Syrian Interim Government informed Islamic Tuesday morning that a Syrian delegation would be meeting with the White House “to discuss eight demands the U.S. wants us to comply with,” to truly end sanctions, the source said.

Among the demands by the Trump administration is the removal of non-Syrians within the country’s new defense forces, the source said. 

Many of whom were part of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly led by current Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Islamist rebel group that led a surprise offensive which toppled the Assad regime in December. The group included Syrians with a sizable portion of Chechens, Uyghurs and Turks, some now holding top military roles, according to The New Arab.

Despite being appointed by al-Sharaa as a way to secure a base of stability in his interim government, many of these officials have ties to al-Qaeda, a factor which may hinder future Syria-U.S. relations despite the announcement.

The ending of sanctions against Syria imposed since May 2011, shortly after Syria’s bloody 14-year civil war began, paves way for badly needed economic relief for a country that requires between an estimated $250 billion to $400 billion to rebuild to war levels, according to the United Nations. 

The war badly affected Syria’s labor capacities as well, leaving over 606,000 people dead according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Half of Syria’s population, Over 13.5 million people, which is over half of Syria’s population has been displaced, according to the UNHCR, the UN’s main refugee agency.

The Syrian pound as of 2025 is worth 13,000 per USD, an excruciating downfall of the currency compared to its worth in 2011, when the Syrian pound was worth 50 per USD.

With the announcement being a major victory for Syria’s economy, it comes after international players already made moves to stimulate Syria’s economy, including the U.S.

On May 7, the U.S. greenlighted Qatari efforts to pay the salaries of Syrian public sector workers on May 7 according to a Reuters report.

Moreover, both Saudi Arabia and Qatar on April 27 pledged to pay off Syria’s $15 million debt to the World Bank which were accumulated during the Assad regime's three decades of despotic rule.

In January, Turkish trade in Syria rose to 38% according to another Reuters Report, with firms from Syria's northern neighbor eyeing investment opportunities in the war-battered country.