According to a notice on the U.S. Treasury Department website, the United States removed Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations on Sharaa and Syria’s interior minister, Anas Khattab.
“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” State Department Principal Deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement Friday.
“This new Syrian government, led by President al-Sharaa, is working hard to missing Americans, fulfill its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons, and promoting regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.”
Al-Sharaa is the former leader of U.S.-designated terror group al-Qaeda who was once wanted by the U.S. as a terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head. He has even served time in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.
The U.N. Security Council voted 14-0 in favor of adoption of the resolution, with one abstention.
“With the adoption of this text, the Council is sending a strong political signal that recognizes Syria is in a new era since Assad and his associates were toppled in December 2024,” U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz stated moments after the resolution was adopted Thursday.
“As President Trump previously indicated, now is Syria’s chance at greatness,” Waltz added, noting that al-Sharaa, as well as Syria’s interior minister, Khattab, were now ‘de-listed’ from a sanctions list.
Monday’s meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa marks the first-ever official visit by a Syrian president to the White House.
It’s also the third meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa this year, as the Syrian leader confronts the challenges of rebuilding the country, seeking to restore ties with Arab countries and the West after years of war under al-Assad’s government.
A senior Trump administration official said Monday’s meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa will focus on counterterrorism efforts. Syria is also expected to join the U.S.-led anti–Islamic State coalition, which includes some 80 countries working to prevent a resurgence of the extremist group, according to the official.
