Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the immediate end of American sanctions on Syria, describing the move as a chance for the war-ravaged country to “step into greatness” after more than a decade of ruin.
Speaking at an economic forum in Riyadh, Trump stood before a crowd of Gulf investors and regional leaders with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seated directly in front of him.
“Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump quipped, glancing at bin Salman, who nodded in acknowledgement. The president then turned his attention to Syria. “Good luck, Syria. Show us something very special.”
Trump met with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia today, and says that Washington is considering the normalization of ties with Damascus.
This marks a dramatic turn in Washington’s stance. For nearly 14 years, US sanctions sought to isolate the Assad government over its brutal crackdown on dissent and the devastating toll of civil war. Those sanctions did not just target officials, they crippled the economy, shut down basic services, and sealed Syria’s financial isolation.
Trump now claims the punishment has run its course. “We’re taking them all off,” he declared. “It’s their time to shine.”
The timing could not be more urgent. A recent UNDP report paints a bleak picture.
Fourteen years of war erased nearly four decades of development. More than 600,000 people lost their lives. Almost one in four Syrians remains jobless. Nine out of ten live in poverty. Half the country lacks clean water.
Syria’s economy now runs at less than half the size it held before the war. Basic infrastructure, roads, electricity, and housing lie in ruins. One-third of homes have been damaged or destroyed. The national power grid has lost over 70 percent of its capacity. Schools in many areas remain shut, and nearly half of all children between the ages of 6 and 15 no longer attend class.
Read also: Trump Arrives in Saudi Arabia as First Stop on Major Gulf Tour
For families inside Syria, the lifting of sanctions may offer hope where little remains. But the pressure to deliver real change now shifts to Syria’s new leaders. The public’s trust, fragile and frayed, depends on more than symbolic gestures or promises whispered in Riyadh.
Al-Sharaa’s government says it will turn away from old networks that monopolized power and controlled wealth through loyalty, not merit. That won’t be easy. The country’s economy collapsed under a system where insiders thrived while most Syrians suffered.
Still, regional powers seem ready to support the reconstruction effort. In April, Saudi Arabia and Qatar pledged to settle Syria’s $15 million debt to the World Bank. The UK recently lifted sanctions on several Syrian ministries. And Trump’s announcement signals a green light for broader Western re-engagement with Damascus.
For many Syrians, the end of sanctions might not change daily life overnight. But it reopens the door to international aid, investment, and a long road, perhaps decades long, toward rebuilding a country brought to its knees.
On another note, Trump and bin Salman also signed a massive package of agreements during Trump’s high-profile visit to Riyadh on Tuesday.
The deals included a record-breaking $142 billion in defense sales, the largest such agreement in US history, among other agreements and investments.
Some might say that these new cooperation horizons signal a radical shift in priorities, where Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are now key partners for the US.
