Trump to Drop Sanctions Against Syria to Give It a ‘Chance at Greatness’

‘I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,’ the U.S. president says.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Saudi–U.S. investment forum at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump, on May 13, announced he had ordered the cessation of U.S. sanctions against Syria, warming diplomatic relations with the country’s de facto new leaders.

“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in an address to the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday.