Politics
Trump Lifts Syria Sanctions During Middle East Tour
Trump lifts Syria sanctions
President Trump announced on Tuesday that he would lift sanctions on Syria, stating at the beginning of his four-day Middle East tour that the decision came after discussions with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and Turkey’s president.
The announcement was met with enthusiastic applause at an investment forum in Riyadh, where Trump addressed an audience of global business leaders and members of the Saudi royal family. Referring to the rebel alliance that removed Bashar al-Assad from power in December, he said, “There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That’s what we want to see in Syria.”
According to a White House official and a regional source familiar with the plans, Trump is scheduled to meet with Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Shara, on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. Lifting sanctions on al-Shara’s new administration would open the door for international aid and investment aimed at helping Syria recover from a 13-year civil war.
The decision to lift sanctions came as a surprise. Trump said he reached it after consulting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This trip to the Gulf marks Trump’s first foreign visit of his second term and is primarily focused on securing major business agreements with wealthy regional economies, some of which were already underway before his return to office.
Addressing the audience, Trump said, “The United States is the hottest country, with the exception of your country,” and made specific mention of Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.
Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other senior administration officials. Leading U.S. business figures also attended the investment forum, including Elon Musk and the CEOs of IBM, BlackRock, Citigroup, Palantir, and Nvidia.
Advisers say Trump aims to secure over $1 trillion in deals during the Gulf tour, though experts have called that figure unrealistic. Expected agreements include Saudi investments in artificial intelligence and energy, along with multibillion-dollar arms deals with American defense firms.
The White House reported Tuesday that Trump had secured $600 billion in deals with the Saudi government and private firms during his stay in Riyadh. However, the details provided were vague and accounted for less than half that amount. Closer scrutiny revealed that many of the announced projects had already been initiated before Trump returned to office in January.
Trump arrived in Riyadh to a grand reception organized by the Saudi kingdom, featuring an honor guard, Arabian horses, and a delegation of royals and business executives. Prince Mohammed greeted him on a lavender carpet.
This warm reception and Trump’s favorable remarks about Saudi Arabia marked a notable shift from the approach taken by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who once promised to make the kingdom a “pariah” but later sought its cooperation to stabilize oil prices.
In 2022, Biden directly addressed the crown prince over the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Meanwhile, Prince Mohammed has tightened his grip on power, detaining numerous royal family members and others.
Trump, who has built both political and business relationships with Saudi Arabia, received a welcome far different from Biden’s, who was greeted by a lower-level delegation during his visit.
Additional developments:
- Diplomatic stance: In his speech, Trump criticized Iran, calling it “the biggest and most destructive” force in the region and vowed it would never obtain nuclear weapons. When he expressed hope that Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords, the audience remained silent. Establishing relations with Israel remains widely unpopular in Saudi Arabia and is reportedly contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state.
- Business ties: Trump’s itinerary closely aligns with the financial interests of his family, including deals with a Saudi-majority-owned real estate company, a cryptocurrency venture with a UAE government affiliate, and a luxury golf project supported by Qatar.
- Gift from Qatar: The Trump administration is expected to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 aircraft from Qatar’s royal family, potentially the largest foreign gift ever to the U.S. government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to announce he will block Trump’s Justice Department nominees until more details are provided about the jet.
- Ukraine-Russia: Trump has expressed interest in participating in a possible peace summit between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey. His involvement could significantly influence the proceedings as Moscow resists international calls for a cease-fire.
- Symbolic moments: Previous visits by U.S. presidents to Saudi Arabia have produced some notably symbolic — and at times unusual — moments.