President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will lift long-standing sanctions against Syria after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman lobbied him for the move.
Trump also mentioned that Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asked for the policy change. Erdogan backed the insurgency led by now-Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.
“I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh.
The crowd erupted in applause and joined bin Salman in giving the American president a standing ovation.
WOW! The Saudi Prince and the whole room give President Trump a standing ovation!
The world is healing under Trumps leadership! pic.twitter.com/7oj71MAv7I
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) May 13, 2025
When the applause died down, Trump quipped, “Oh, what I do for the crown prince.”
The president went on to argue that the sanctions served an “important function” to punish Assad for the brutal crackdown on his citizens, including, allegedly, the use of chemical weapons. Many of the sanctions had been put in place in 2011, according to CNBC.
Do you like how Trump is dealing with Saudi Arabia?
“But now it’s their time to shine,” Trump said of Syria. “So I say good luck, Syria.”
Welcome to the President of the United States of America@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/vbDCgcJitU
— محمد بن سلمان بن عبد العزيز (Informal) (@HRHMBNSALMAAN) May 13, 2025
During the president’s visit, he and bin Salman signed a series of agreements that include Saudi Arabia’s commitment to invest $600 billion in the U.S., including purchasing $142 billion in military equipment.
.@POTUS and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sign a series of agreements on energy, defense, and other areas pic.twitter.com/p44J673740
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 13, 2025
The New York Times reported that people poured into the streets across Syria to celebrate Trump lifting the sanctions against their country.
Celebrations seen tonight in the capital of Damascus and across Syria, following today’s announcement by U.S. President Donald J. Trump during his visit to Saudi Arabia on the lifting of all sanctions imposed by the United States against Syria under the Assad Regime. The largest… pic.twitter.com/rktDd4Clzy
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 13, 2025
Trump is expected to meet with Syrian President al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia.
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