‘Now, it’s their time to shine’: Trump announces all US sanctions on Syria to be lifted
Trump said that sanctions on Syrial were “brutal and crippling,” adding that they no longer served an important function. “Now, it’s their time to shine,” Trump said of Syria. “We’re taking them all off.” World
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (May 13) that the United States will remove all sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince as the new interim Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, seeks to bring stability in the war-torn country.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said while addressing the packed auditorium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking his first appearance during the four-day visit to the Middle East. The US president covered a range of topics in his speech, including his time in office and US-Middle East relations.
Also read | WATCH | Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shows off basketball skills in viral video
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country and keeping peace. That’s what we want to see,” he said.
“In Syria, they’ve had their share of travesty, war, killing many years. That’s why my administration has already taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria for the first time in more than a decade.”
Read more | Trump holds ‘good and productive’ phone call with Turkish President, discuss Russia-Ukraine war, Gaza, Syria
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How B-2 bomber pilots can eject themselves in an emergency
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
What is 'Condition Red' & why USS Abraham Lincoln's crew is running 24x7
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Epstein files released: DOJ reveals disturbing photo of Bill Clinton in pool with Ghislaine Maxwell & a mystery woman
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Can Iran sink the USS Abraham Lincoln if it fires 500 Khyber ballistic missiles?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Khamenei skips key military event for first time in 37 years: Is US strike looming over Iran?
)
Was Jeffrey Epstein really involved in cannibalism? Here's what DOJ files reveal
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
‘Different from any fighter jet’: How the B-2 bomber turns in the air
)
Pedro Pascal to Cardi B: How many celebrities did you spot on stage with Bad Bunny during his Super Bowl set?
)
Two foreign girls strangulated during 'rough, fetish sex' were buried at Epstein's ranch, new documents reveal
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Target locked? How satellites can help the USS Abraham Lincoln set its primary targets in Iran
)
India vs Pakistan at T20 World Cup: ICC rejects PCB’s ‘3 demands’; what were those?
‘Brutal and crippling’ sanctions
Trump said that sanctions on Syrial were “brutal and crippling,” adding that they no longer served an important function.
“Now, it’s their time to shine,” Trump said of Syria. “We’re taking them all off.”
“So I say, Good luck Syria. Show us something very special, like they’ve done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia.”
Also read | 'Iran MOST DESTRUCTIVE force in Middle East': Trump bashes Iran for causing unthinkable suffering
From Assad regime to Ahmed al-Sharaa’s rule
The Middle Eastern nation has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the US since 1979. Syria was faced with additional sanctions by the US in 2004 and again in 2011, after the then-President Bashar al-Assad launched a crackdown on anti-government uprisings.
The Assad rule was overthrown by rebel forces led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in December 2024 after more than 13 years of civil war, sectarian violence and deadly terrorist attacks. Following this, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda member who describes himself as reformed, was made the leader of the country’s transitional government.
