UN lifts sanctions on Syrian president ahead of White House visit

The UN Security Council has voted in favour of a US resolution to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his White House visit next week.

Sharaa was named transitional president after leading a rebel offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending 13 years of civil war.

Washington’s ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the UN had sent a “strong political signal” that recognised Syria was in a “new era” since Assad was deposed.

Sharaa was under UN sanctions as the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was formerly linked to al-Qaeda. The US removed HTS from a list of foreign terror groups in July.

The UN also removed sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab.

Syria’s foreign minister welcomed the removal of the sanctions, posting on social media: “Syria expresses its appreciation to the United States and to friendly nations for their support of Syria and its people.”

Sharaa’s White House visit on Monday comes after US President Donald Trump said the Syrian leader had made “good progress” towards bringing peace to the war-torn country.

The pair met for the first time in May, when Trump visited Riyadh on a tour of the Middle East.

After that meeting, the US president described Sharaa as a “tough guy” with a “very strong past”.

His Islamist group HTS was al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria until he severed ties in 2016.

Monday’s visit will not be Sharaa’s first trip to the US this year. In September, he became the first Syrian leader to address the UN General Assembly in New York in almost 60 years.

In his speech, he said Syria was “reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world” and expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza.