President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order lifting US sanctions on Syria, to allow Syria to rebuild after a prolonged civil war.
Mr Trump announced during his visit to Riyadh last month that he would be giving Syria near-total sanctions relief. But unwinding the US laws and designations is a complex process and requires Congressional action in some cases.
Brad Smith, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the US Treasury Department, said "the significance of this moment cannot be overstated".
"Today's actions … will end [Syria's] isolation from the international financial system, setting the stage for global commerce and galvanising investments from its neighbours in the region, as well as from the United States," Mr Smith said.
Mr Trump's executive order takes effect on Tuesday. The text tells of "developments over the past six months, including the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government under President Ahmad Al Shara."
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani said on X that the termination of the Syria sanctions programme allows for "long-awaited reconstruction and development".
Thomas Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, said Syria needed "to be given a chance".
"And that’s what’s happened. What you have this afternoon is the culmination of a very tedious, detailed, excruciating process of how you unwrap these sanctions," he told reporters on Monday.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the executive order reaffirms Mr Trump's "belief that the Syrian people deserve a future of safety and prosperity".
The executive order will remove sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on former president Bashar Al Assad.
"His associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their affiliates, and Iranian policies" will remain under sanctions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Syria was originally designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the Carter administration in 1979, when Hafez Al Assad, Bashar's father, ruled the country. Further sanctions were imposed in 2004 and in 2011, when civil war broke out.
While Mr Trump is easing many sanctions by executive order, undoing all of them would require Congress to repeal the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which penalises almost anyone who tries to do business with Syria.
Two senators this month introduced legislation to overturn the Caesar Act.
The Assad regime fell last December after a lightning offensive by groups led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham. HTS's leader, Mr Al Shara, was chosen as transitional President.
The new government in Damascus lobbied for western countries to remove sanctions levied during the Assad regime's rule. Although Washington has been wary of the new government, because HTS was previously allied with Al Qaeda, Mr Trump said the US would remove sanctions.
Stephen Rapp, former ambassador-at-large for war crimes, welcomed the development.
“We are pleased to see commitment to accountability for the crimes committed by the Assad regime and by the terrorists of ISIS," Mr Rapp, who is a board member on the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said in a statement.
"This means helping the Syrians gather and analyse the documents and excavate the mass graves to determine the fate of more than 100,000 missing persons, including Americans Austin Tice and Dr Majd Kamalmaz, and to lay the groundwork for trials of the major perpetrators."
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ARGENTINA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
