Syria

Sanctions Lifted on Syria: Damascus Faces Hope and Real Challenges

From Riyadh on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced—at the request of the Saudi crown prince—the full lifting, not just suspension, of economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria. It was a crucial distinction, noted by many observers attending the US-Saudi Investment Forum, where every word of the American president’s remarks was ...

Qatar and Saudi Arabia Competing for the Syrian Market

After supporting several Syrian opposition groups in the early stages of the war, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are now looking to capitalize on the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad last December to establish a strategic foothold in the country. With a new regime in place that aligns more closely with their interests, both countries are eager to ...

Trump’s Middle East Visit: AI Dreams, Petrodollars and the Rebirth of Broken States

Trump’s first major foreign trip in his second term didn’t start in Jerusalem, Cairo or Baghdad, it began in Riyadh. That alone says a lot. This wasn’t about Abraham Accords 2.0 or sermonizing about “shared values.” This was pure transactional diplomacy, wrapped in the glossy skin of petrodollars and lined with AI circuits. The visuals ...

Syrian Leader Says Lifting of US Sanctions 'Historic and Courageous'

In a significant address following his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Riyadh, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa praised US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions, calling it "historic and courageous." Speaking in a live television address, Sharaa said Trump's move "was a historic and courageous decision, which ...

Trump Presses Syria Leader on Israel Ties after Lifting Sanctions

US President Donald Trump landed in Doha on Wednesday after visiting Riyadh, where he urged Syria's president to normalize relations with Israel after offering a major boost to the war-ravaged country by vowing to lift sanctions. Trump became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader -- Ahmed al-Sharaa, an erstwhile Islamist ...

Farhan: Trump Visit Reinforces Strategic Ties

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a press briefing on Wednesday following the departure of US President Donald Trump from Riyadh to Doha, highlighting a series of key regional and bilateral developments. Farhan described Trump’s visit as a “turning point” in Saudi-US relations, underscoring the depth of the long-standing ...

Trump Meets Syrian Leader After Lifting Sanctions

Donald Trump became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader on Wednesday after he offered sanctions relief in hopes of offering a new path to the war-battered country. Trump, in Riyadh on the first state visit of his second term, met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, an erstwhile Islamist guerrilla turned interim president after the ...

President Aoun and PM Salam Welcome US Decision to Lift Sanctions on Syria

President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the decision by United States President Donald Trump to lift sanctions on Syria, calling it a crucial development. President Aoun attributed it to the “valued efforts” of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. “I welcome President Donald Trump’s announcement of lifting the ...

Trump Set to Meet Syrian Leader Ahead of Qatar Visit

Donald Trump is set to meet the leader of Syria and the heads of the Gulf states Wednesday in Riyadh before travelling to Qatar where controversy is swirling over the gifting of a luxury aircraft. The US president was set to "say hello" to Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa during his last day in Riyadh, after vowing to remove sanctions against ...

Lebanon Is Finally on the Right Track

A glimmer of hope can finally be seen in the Middle East and is emanating, surprisingly, from Lebanon, where the state is restoring its sovereignty and shrinking the Hezbollah tumor. More needs to be done. For now, however, the country is on the right track. “It has only been six or seven months,” a senior U.S. official told The Wall Street ...