US President Donald Trump announced his decision to lift the US sanctions imposed on Syria under the ousted regime.

Trump stated during a speech at the Saudi-US Investment Forum today, Tuesday, May 13, in Riyadh, “It is time to give Syria a chance, and I say good luck, Syria.”

The US president added that he made the decision to lift the sanctions after discussing the matter with the Saudi Crown Prince and the Turkish President.

He mentioned, “Syria has witnessed many years of misery and suffering, and today there is a new government that we hope will succeed in achieving stability and ending crises,” noting that this initiative represents the first step toward normalizing relations between Washington and Damascus.

It is scheduled that the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will meet with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shibani, during his visit to Turkey in the coming days, according to Trump.

The US sanctions played a role in undermining the ability of the former Syrian regime, targeting the head of the regime Bashar al-Assad and members of his family down to the government, economic, and military figures supporting him. The sanctions also affected service and economic sectors, which had a negative impact on the lives of Syrians.

On January 6, the US Treasury Department issued license number “24”, which includes exemptions aimed at facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid to Syria and ensuring that sanctions do not hinder essential services, including electricity, energy, water, and sanitation services, for a period of six months, with monitoring of what happens on Syrian territory.

On January 15, the United States took additional measures to ease sanctions concerning Executive Order number “13894” issued on October 14, 2019, regarding “prohibiting properties and suspending the entry of certain individuals contributing to the situation in Syria.”

Economic experts and analysts considered at the time that license number “24” represents a positive development, but it does not rise to the level of enhancing recovery and investment in the long term, as it excludes provisions related to broader economic participation and reconstruction efforts.