Former U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing the option of reducing sanctions on Syria. The issue is expected to be discussed during an upcoming visit to Riyadh, where a potential meeting with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, could take place, reports the Baltimore Chronicle, citing The Times.
Al-Sharaa, who assumed power in January following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, has a background tied to Islamist movements, including alleged connections to al-Qaeda. Nevertheless, he appears open to new diplomatic ties and is seeking the removal of Western sanctions imposed during Assad’s rule.
The Syrian leadership is offering the U.S. economic incentives. These include granting American companies access to the country’s mineral resources, modeled similarly to a “Ukrainian-style” arrangement. Damascus has also expressed readiness to permit the construction of a Trump Tower in the heart of its capital.
Security sources suggest that Sharaa might initiate discussions on Syria joining the Abraham Accords — a series of normalization agreements between Arab states and Israel. Additional concessions could include the creation of a demilitarized zone or allowing Israeli forces to maintain a buffer presence in Syria’s southwest, near the Golan Heights.
The meeting could also involve Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Khalil Aoun. Such a gathering would mark an unprecedented move for Sharaa, who once spent five years in American custody, including time in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.
Prior to his departure for Saudi Arabia, Trump stated that the United States is considering lifting restrictions that currently bar Syria from international trade and access to global financial systems. He noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other leaders have urged him to reconsider the sanctions.
Last week, al-Sharaa met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Macron reportedly expressed conditional support for gradually lifting European Union sanctions if Syria begins implementing reforms.
Within Trump’s advisory circle, opinions remain divided. Notably, advisors Tulsi Gabbard and Sebastian Gorka have raised concerns about the legitimacy of engaging with Sharaa. However, the president’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, supports initiating dialogue, highlighting the economic opportunities such talks could unlock.
Members of the Trump team, backed by Gulf states, see the situation as a strategic opening to distance Syria from Iran, which was a close ally of the former Assad regime. According to one source, the mineral development model used in Ukraine could serve as a blueprint for the Syrian case.
Earlier we wrote that Saudi Arabia and Qatar to help settle Syria’s debt to the World Bank.