US, Syria Officials Discuss Final Steps to Lift Damascus Sanctions

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Shaibani and US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Iraq and Syria, Tom Barrack, met in Istanbul to discuss completing the lifting of US sanctions on Damascus and supporting Syria's economic recovery and reconstruction.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the two officials reviewed the remaining steps needed to remove sanctions imposed on Syria over the past decade, making economic recovery a central focus of the talks.

According to the ministry, Shaibani and Barrack also discussed priorities for rebuilding the Syrian economy and examined recent regional security developments.

The meeting comes as Washington and Damascus seek to expand relations following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government in late 2024.

The United States had imposed successive rounds of sanctions on Damascus during the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. Among the most significant measures was the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, enacted in 2020 and aimed at increasing economic pressure on Assad's government and those supporting it.

The sanctions severely restricted Syria's access to international financing, trade and investment and contributed to the country's prolonged economic deterioration.

Following the change in government in Damascus, Washington began easing its previous approach and has taken steps toward restoring economic and diplomatic engagement with Syrian authorities.

The latest talks indicate that the sanctions question remains a central part of the emerging US-Syria relationship, particularly as Damascus seeks international assistance for reconstruction.

For Syria, lifting the remaining restrictions could facilitate the reopening of financial channels, encourage investment and improve access to goods and services needed to rebuild infrastructure damaged during more than a decade of war.

For Washington, the process also remains linked to broader questions surrounding Syria's political transition, security and regional stability.

The Istanbul meeting between Barrack and Shaibani therefore represents another step in a broader effort to move relations between the two countries away from the sanctions-driven framework of the civil war and toward economic and diplomatic engagement.

Further progress will depend on the completion of the remaining sanctions procedures and continued coordination between Damascus and Washington.