🔗 Share this article

The UN Security Council voted in favour to an American proposal removing restrictions on Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa prior to his Washington trip the coming week.

He was appointed provisional head of state following his leadership in a rebel offensive that removed Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, concluding 13 years of internal conflict.

The US representative UN ambassador Mike Waltz said the UN had sent "a powerful diplomatic message" that acknowledged Syria entered "a different period" following Assad's ouster.

Sharaa was under United Nations restrictions in his role as head of the Muslim faction HTS, once connected to the terrorist network. Washington eliminated HTS from a list of global extremist entities this past July.

Additional Sanctions Relief

Furthermore, global sanctions were ended on restrictions targeting Syria's Interior Minister Anas Khattab.

Syria's foreign minister welcomed the removal of the sanctions, declaring through digital channels: "The nation shows its gratitude toward America and supportive states for their support of Syria and its people."

Forthcoming Presidential Visit

Sharaa's White House visit this coming Monday occurs subsequent to President Trump remarked that Sharaa had made "good progress" in establishing peace to the previously divided state.

The two leaders convened initially during May, during Trump's Riyadh trip while traveling through the region.

Subsequent to that discussion, the US president described the Syrian as a "strong individual" having a "formative history".

His former militant faction served as al-Qaeda's branch inside the country before he cut connections in 2016.

Earlier American Trip

This week's diplomatic engagement will not be the president's debut journey to America in the current year. This past fall, he became the first Syrian leader to present to the global assembly in New York in almost 60 years.

Throughout his presentation, he stated the country had been "regaining its deserved status across international circles" while showing support with Palestinian citizens in Gaza.

• The Middle Eastern president speaks before global body initially in almost 60 years
• The presidential discussion with President Sharaa, previously unimaginable, elevates national expectations