The Syrian American Council announced on Friday, October 10, that the U.S. Senate has approved lifting the “Caesar” sanctions imposed on Syria in 2020.

Mohammad Alaa Ghanem, a member of the Council, said on his account on the X platform that the U.S. Senate approved the article in the U.S. Department of Defense budget stipulating the repeal of the “Caesar Act.”

Ghanem indicated that the article received 77 votes in favor and 22 votes against lifting the sanctions.

He added that another article was also approved, which includes a set of provisions that the Syrian government must comply with. However, these are non-binding conditions that would automatically reinstate the “Caesar” sanctions if they are not met.

Ghanem also mentioned a non-binding clause stating that Congress shall discuss reimposing the “Caesar Act” if the Syrian government fails to make progress on the required measures for 12 consecutive months.

A further article was passed, requiring the U.S. administration to submit a report on the efforts to facilitate the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Damascus and to develop diplomatic relations between the two countries.

U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson expressed his gratitude on the X platform that the Senate approved repealing the “Caesar Act” as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Wilson added that these harsh sanctions were imposed on a regime that no longer exists, “and fortunately, Syria’s success now depends on lifting them completely.”

Syrian welcome

Syrian Minister of Finance, Mohammed Yosr Bernieh, welcomed the U.S. Senate’s approval to lift the “Caesar” sanctions in a post on his Facebook page.

Bernieh pointed out that Syrian diplomacy has succeeded in ridding the country of the last and toughest American sanctions imposed on Syria.

Background

In June 2020, Washington imposed the sanctions law known as the “Caesar Act,” under which it decided to impose financial sanctions on Syrian officials, businessmen, and any foreign party dealing with Damascus. The law also stipulated freezing reconstruction aid.

The United States prohibited providing any financial or technological support to the Syrian regime under a series of sanctions approved over the past years, as reminded by the U.S. Federal Register in its final version issued on June 6, 2024 (Volume 89, No. 110).

“Graham” amendments

On September 15, U.S. Congress members Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen submitted an amendment to the decision to suspend the “Caesar” sanctions law on Syria.

According to the U.S. Congress website, Graham introduced an amendment stating that the “suspension shall not be absolute,” but rather conditional on a set of strict commitments imposed on the transitional government and monitored periodically.

These commitments include:

• Formally joining the international coalition against ISIS.

• Committing to combating terrorism, protecting the rights of religious and ethnic groups, and ensuring their political participation.

• Maintaining peaceful relations with regional countries, including Israel.

• Stopping support for or harboring organizations classified as “terrorist.”

• Expelling foreign fighters from the state and security institutions.

• Holding accountable those responsible for crimes and violations since December 2024, particularly against religious groups.

According to the proposal, the U.S. President must submit a report to Congress every 120 days to assess Damascus’s compliance with the conditions. In case of two consecutive failures, the sanctions would automatically be reimposed and remain in effect.