**Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions**
This executive order represents a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Syria, fundamentally reversing decades of sanctions and restrictions imposed during the Assad regime. The order characterizes recent developments, including the rise of a new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as having "transformed" the circumstances that originally justified the sanctions framework. According to the order, the United States now seeks to support "a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors" while ensuring the country does not provide safe haven for terrorist organizations. This policy reversal acknowledges what the order describes as "positive actions taken by the new Syrian government" over the past six months, marking a dramatic departure from the previous administration's approach to Syrian governance and regional security. However, the order does not explicitly address how this unprecedented policy realignment may affect U.S. relationships with key regional allies including Israel, Turkey, and Gulf partners, or how it positions the United States relative to Iranian and Russian interests in Syria.
The order implements sweeping changes across multiple policy domains through specific quantitative actions. Most notably, it revokes six major executive orders dating from 2004 to 2011 that formed the backbone of Syria sanctions, terminating the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 effective July 1, 2025. The order provides comprehensive sanctions relief through three major legislative waivers: under the Syria Accountability Act (waiving export controls and assistance restrictions), the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control Act (waiving four categories of restrictions), and authorizing suspension of Caesar Act sanctions following secretarial review. However, the order simultaneously expands Executive Order 13894 to maintain targeted sanctions against former Assad regime officials, human rights abusers, and those involved in captagon trafficking, demonstrating a calibrated approach that distinguishes between the former regime and current Syrian leadership. Critically, the order directs review of the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham—the group led by Syria's new president al-Sharaa—creating significant legal and diplomatic ambiguity regarding U.S. counterterrorism posture toward the new government that could affect international legitimacy and coalition relationships.
Implementation responsibility falls primarily to the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Commerce, who are authorized to adopt necessary rules and regulations to execute the order's directives. The Secretary of State must undertake several critical reviews within specified timeframes, including a 30-day congressional briefing requirement if Caesar Act sanctions are suspended and a 20-day effective period for CBW Act waivers following congressional transmission. Most significantly, the order mandates review of Syria's State Sponsor of Terrorism designation alongside the FTO designation of the ruling group, potentially removing two major legal barriers to normalized relations while maintaining sanctions on terrorist entities more broadly. The order establishes ongoing monitoring mechanisms, requiring continuous review of Syrian compliance with stated criteria and authorizing reimposition of sanctions if conditions deteriorate. Implementation begins July 1, 2025, with various components subject to different timelines and congressional notification requirements.