On June 30, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order formally terminating the Syria sanctions program, which had been in place for two decades.
The Executive Order (effective July 1, 2025) revoked the following six prior executive orders dating back to 2004:
- Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004 (Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the Export of Certain Goods to Syria),
- Executive Order13399 of April25, 2006 (Blocking Property of Additional Persons in Connection With the National Emergency With Respect to Syria)
- Executive Order13460 of February13, 2008 (Blocking Property of Additional Persons in Connection With the National Emergency With Respect to Syria)
- Executive Order13572 of April29, 2011 (Blocking Property of Certain Persons with Respect to Human Rights Abuses in Syria)
- Executive Order13573 of May18, 2011 (Blocking Property of Senior Officials of the Government of Syria)
- Executive Order 13582 of August 17, 2011 (Blocking Property of the Government of Syria and Prohibiting Certain Transactions with Respect to Syria).
The revocation of Executive Order 13338 ended the national emergency that underpinned the subsequent executive orders.
The Executive Order also waived certain sanctions imposed by the Syria Accountability Act and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act.
On June 30, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action to implement the executive order by removing 518 previously sanctioned persons and companies from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, restoring their access to U.S. financial systems.
The U.S. has had sanctions on Syria since 1979, when the U.S. designated it a state sponsor of terrorism. The U.S. expanded those measures in 2004 over Syria's military presence in Lebanon and again in 2011 in response to President Bashar Assad's crackdown on protesters.
Why Now
The revocation of sanctions fulfills a commitment Trump made during a visit to Saudi Arabia in May to lift all sanctions on Syria. Saudi Arabia and Turkey have both pushed for the U.S. to remove the restrictions to facilitate reconstruction after the overthrow of the Assad regime in 2024. The move aligns the U.S. with recent actions by the European Union and the U.K., both of which lifted economic sanctions earlier this year.
Some Sanctions Still Remain
Some sanctions can only be removed through congressional action. For example, sanctions under the Caesar Act that targetindividuals, entities, and governments supporting the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assadwill remain in place. Syria also remains designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, which continues to restrict investment and diplomatic engagement. However, the executive order directed relevant agencies to examine these restrictions and assess what is required to suspend them.
Targeted sanctions remain in place against Bashar al-Assad, his inner circle, terrorist organizations, and entities linked to drug trafficking, chemical weapons, and Iranian proxies.
Read more:
- Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions Compliance
- Bloomberg Law:US Sanctions Lists
- ICYMI: Congress Doubles the Statute of Limitations for Sanctions Violations
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
