‘My honour to drop sanctions on Syria’, Trump tells interim Syrian president

US President, Donald Trump, on Wednesday, told interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that his order to lift sanctions on Syria is a major policy shift, describing it as an “honour”.

White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt said Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria.

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Salman called the US lifting of sanctions “courageous”.

In a post on X, Leavitt wrote that Trump told Al-Sharaa that “he has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country” on the lifting of US sanctions on Syria.

He also encouraged Syria to sign the Abraham Accords – a US-led initiative for Middle East nations to normalise relations with Israel – and “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria”.

Al-Sharaa told the leaders that he hopes Syria can serve as a critical trade link between the east and west.

Trump drew sharp contrasts between the economic development of Gulf Cooperation Council countries and what he described as the “mismanagement” and “corruption” of Iran’s leadership.

Trump specifically criticised Iran’s handling of its water crisis, blaming what he called a “water mafia” within the regime – and accused Tehran of siphoning national resources to fund proxy groups across the Middle East.

Despite extending what appeared to be an olive branch to Iran during the same address, Trump’s remarks have provoked an angry response from Iranian officials today.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi – who also heads the country’s nuclear negotiations – condemned Trump’s statements as “deceptive”.

Speaking in Tehran, Araghchi attributed Iran’s economic difficulties not to domestic mismanagement, but to US sanctions, placing the blame squarely on the US.

Referring to Washington’s maximum pressure policy against Iran, which was reiterated in Trump’s speech, Araghchi accuses the US president of turning a blind eye to the war in Gaza, in order to name Iran as the regional threat instead of Israel.

Trump’s meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa presents a key opportunity to strengthen Salman’s vision for the future of the Middle East.

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria marked a significant defeat for the Islamic Republic of Iran – and a major opportunity for Saudi Arabia to curb Iranian influence in the Arab world.

However, simply removing Assad is not enough to cement Saudi – and Turkish – footholds in Syria.

What both countries need is a stable government under al-Sharaa’s leadership, one capable of restoring security, facilitating economic recovery and leading the reconstruction of a country devastated by war.

The lifting of fifty-year-old US sanctions against Syria, reportedly at the request of Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, paves the way for substantial Saudi and Turkish investment in Syria.

American companies, particularly in the energy sector, are also expected to benefit from the opening.

Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa will go a long way in granting international legitimacy to a man once vilified under his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, due to his past links to al-Qaeda.

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