Details of Individuals and Entities Removed from U.S. Sanctions Following Syria Policy Shift
Investment firms, military divisions, and a state oil company are among those delisted, as the U.S. shifts focus to targeted sanctions on actors involved in terrorism, WMDs, and Iran-linked activities.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — In a sweeping policy shift aimed at fostering opportunity for the Syrian people, the U.S. Department of State on Monday announced the implementation of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order of June 30, 2025, titled “Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions”, according to an official statement published on the U.S. Department of State’s website.
The move marks a significant recalibration of U.S. sanctions policy toward Syria, ending blanket economic restrictions that have long been in place under various legal authorities. “The President ordered the cessation of sanctions against Syria to give Syrians a chance at greatness,” the Department’s statement reads, emphasizing a new focus on accountability while lifting broad restrictions that affected the general population.
The sanctions that remain in effect now specifically target individuals and entities linked to egregious activities, including drug trafficking, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction proliferation, human rights abuses, and malign actions by Iran and its regional proxies. The revised policy narrows its scope to what the State Department calls “the worst of the worst” actors affiliated with the former Syrian regime.
As part of the implementation, the Department of State certified—under section 7432(b)(1) of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019—that waiving certain sanctions is in the national security interest of the United States. Consequently, the following individuals and entities have been removed from the U.S. Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List:
- ADAM Trading and Investment LLC
- Wassim Anwar Al-Qattan
- Khaled Al-Zubaidi
- Intersection LLC
- Muruj Cham Investment and Tourism Group
- Apex Development and Projects LLC
- Nader Kalai
- Al-Amar One-Person LLC
- Timeet Trading LLC
- Aleksey Makarov
Additionally, the Department terminated sanctions on key military formations previously designated under Executive Order 13894:
- Fourth Division of the Syrian Arab Army
- First Division of the Syrian Arab Army
- National Defense Forces
Also, sanctions were lifted on SYTROL, Syria’s state oil company, previously designated under the Iran Sanctions Act.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) confirmed that the above-listed individuals and entities have been delisted from the SDN List. This action unblocks all associated property and interests in property within the United States or under the control of U.S. persons. Furthermore, any entities owned 50% or more by one or more of the delisted persons are also unblocked.
The State Department emphasized that the strength of U.S. sanctions lies not only in the ability to impose them, but in the readiness to lift them when the law and national interest allow. “The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior,” the statement noted.
This recalibrated approach signals a shift in U.S. strategy toward Syria—one that combines strategic restraint with targeted pressure, aiming to pave the way for humanitarian relief, economic reconstruction, and potential diplomatic engagement.
