Syrian president al-Sharaa to visit White House after sanctions lift

President Donald Trump is preparing to welcome Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara on Monday. The event is described by officials as a historic step to test whether Damascus can be drawn back into diplomacy after years of war and isolation.

The high-profile meeting underscores a new chapter in US-Syria relations after more than a decade of hostility. A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that the visit will focus on counterterrorism cooperation, economic development and advancing regional peace and security.

During the visit, the official said, “Syria will announce that it has joined the Global Coalition to Fight ISIS. Thus, Syria will become the 90th member of the D-ISIS Coalition, which has partnered with the United States to eliminate ISIS remnants and stop the flow of foreign fighters.” he said.

The visit follows a week of major policy changes. The U.N. Security Council on Thursday voted 14-0, with China abstaining, to lift sanctions against Al Shara and Syria’s interior minister. In addition, Reuters reported It was stated that Al Shara and the interior minister Anas Khattab had previously been subject to financial sanctions targeting Al Qaeda and ISIS, and the US had designated them as Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

SYRIA’S INTERIM PRESIDENT SHARAA IS EXPECTED TO MEET WITH TRUMP DURING THE SYRIAN LEADER’S FIRST VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE

The meeting took place nearly six weeks after Al Shara, the former commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, once linked to al-Qaeda, addressed the UN General Assembly on September 24, the first speech by a Syrian head of state in six decades. There he urged the West to lift sanctions and called for international support for the reconstruction of the country.

This is about to happen, according to the administration official: “Treasury, State, and Commerce will jointly announce actions taken to lift economic restrictions and provide compliance clarity to investors. The United States will allow Syria to continue operations at its Embassy in Washington to advance counterterrorism, security, and economic coordination.”

Syrian officials want the incident to be re-evaluated Caesar Act sanctionsUS basic law still restricts trade relations with Damascus.

“The Administration is suspending the Caesar Act for 180 days and calling on Congress to permanently repeal the law to pave the way for economic growth. The Trump Administration supports a full repeal of the Caesar Act. This is in line with the President’s statement on ending sanctions. Repeal is key to allowing U.S. businesses and regional states to operate in Syria,” a senior administration official told Fox News Digital.

Syrian security forces march together along a street following the collapse of a ceasefire between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters that resumed early Wednesday in the southern Druze town of Sweida, aiming to end days of sectarian bloodshed in the Syrian city of Sweida on July 16, 2025, declared just hours earlier. (Karam al-Masri/Reuters)

EVANGELICAL LEADER SAYS WE NEED TO PROTECT SYRIAN CHRISTIANS FROM ATTACKS BY JIHADI TERRORISTS

Rep. Abe Hamadeh, who visited Damascus this summer, told Fox News Digital that he saw the visit as an opportunity to end years of bloodshed.

“This is the first chance Syria has had to emerge from decades of brutal oppression and more than a decade of civil war,” the congressman said. “I went to Damascus to make sure missing Americans like Kayla Mueller were not forgotten, to advocate for the expansion of the Abraham Accords, and to remind Syria’s new leaders that they must include and protect the rights of minorities like Druze, Christians, and Kurds.”

Nearly 100 influential Christian leaders on Friday Sent a letter to President Trump He urges him to discuss minority rights and protection with the Syrian leader. The letter was led by Dede Laugesen, president of Save Persecuted Christians, and included Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, Samuel Rodriguez, Rob McCoy, and Alveda King.

Syrian citizens and security forces inspect the damage at the Mar Elias church, where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweil’a on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Ömer Sanadiki/AP Photo)

In the letter, they thanked Trump for his efforts to protect Christians and asked him to convey the matter to Al Shara. “We call on you to directly address the massacre of Christians, Kurds, Druze and Alawites in Syria, especially in the Suwayda region. These religious minorities face ongoing violence, death, displacement, hunger, water and medical deprivation, while innocent women and children are held hostage by ISIS terrorists.”

“Mr. President, we respectfully request that you secure President al-Sharaa’s commitment to open a safe humanitarian corridor from Hader to Suwayda in southern Syria. This corridor will enable safe and secure aid delivery and civilian evacuation, signaling the new government’s commitment to minority rights and stability,” the letter said. The statement was included.

WHILE CONCERNS ABOUT THE PAST OF TERROR CONTINUE, SYRIA’S NEW PRESIDENT TAKES CENTER STAGE AT UNGA

Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 24, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Ahmad Sharawi of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital that Washington hopes to use the meeting to maintain stability and contain Iran’s influence.

“The interest of the United States is to have a government that is willing to fight ISIS and prevent the reemergence of Iran,” he said. “I think the United States will try to find a solution to the Kurdish problem in northeastern Syria and try to build a unified country without decentralization or federalism.”

He warned that al-Sharaa’s internal record showed a “non-inclusive political system” and a pattern of centralization of power. He added that despite these concerns, many Syrians see him as “the only person who can hold the country together.”

People welcome Ahmed al-Shara (C), leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group in Syria, which led the lightning rebel offensive that took Damascus from government control, before his speech at the capital’s landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. In the video shared by the rebels on their Telegram channel, Al Shara gave a speech while the crowd chanted “Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest)”. (Aref Tammawi /AFP via Getty Images)

In October, al-Sharaa traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin; Sharawi said this move underlines both pragmatism and risk.

Sharawi said, “11 months ago, when the Russians were carrying out air strikes on Idlib and Al Shara forces, we would think that we would not see Al Shara meeting Putin in Moscow.” “But this is a clear indication of how Al Shara operates: focused on protecting its interests but also pragmatic.”

He added that the aid signaled to the West that “if you don’t give me what I want, I have other countries I can trust” and said it was an effort to secure weapons and political support after years of war and loss of equipment.

SYRIAN PRESIDENT’S HISTORIC UN SPEECH WITH THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GATHERING OUTSIDE FOR PEACE AND TRUMP’S SUPPORT

Ahmed al-Sharaa, once known by his pseudonym Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, was spotted in Syria on February 7, 2023. He has reverted to his own name since becoming president of the country. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

“That’s why I asked General Michael Kurilla of CENTCOM about these opportunities and risks during House Armed Services Committee hearings and wrote the section of the NDAA on assessing the feasibility of defense partnerships with the new Syrian government,” Hamadeh said. he said. “We must ensure that ISIS and Iran never return, and that the Russians and Chinese are kept at bay.”

Hicham Alnchawati, a Syrian American activist with the Syrian Freedom Trail organization, told Fox News Digital that Syrians largely welcomed the visit.

“They are looking for a better future,” he said. “They suffered from the war; no water, no food, no economy and no security. He knows his interest is with the United States. He comes here to achieve common interests for both the United States and Syria.”

Alnchawati argued that lasting stability requires eliminating the influence of Iran and Hezbollah.

“If you really want stability in the Middle East, you have to finish the job with Hezbollah and the Iranians,” he said. “They must be completely dispersed. Otherwise they will reignite the conflict once again.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Shara at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly meeting at United Nations headquarters on Monday, September 22, 2025. (Bing Guan/Pool Photo via AP)

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The sanctions decisions of the United Nations and the USA sparked controversy in Washington and Europe. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that some lawmakers and human rights groups argued that legitimizing a former jihadist commander could reduce responsibility for past abuses, while supporters said the aid offered Damascus an incentive to cooperate on counterterrorism and drug control.

Sharawi told Fox News Digital that the policy of making an offer to al-Sharaa “provides a strong incentive for Damascus but leaves Washington vulnerable. The political cost of failure would be enormous.”