Ria Reddy, Kelly Campa, Ben Rezaei, Katherine Wells, Alexandra Braverman, Ben Schmida, Carolyn Moorman, Johanna Moore, and Annika Ganzeveld



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The US Treasury lifted most sanctions on Syria on May 23. The US Treasury issued Syria General License (GL) 25 to provide “immediate sanctions relief” to Syria in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s May 13 order to lift all sanctions on Syria. The removal of sanctions will allow the United States to conduct transactions with the Syrian transitional government, the Syrian Central Bank, and state-owned businesses. GL 25 also removed the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designations on Syrian President Ahmed al Shara and Interior Minister Anas Khattab. The United States previously designated both individuals as SDGTs for their membership in al Qaeda in Iraq in 2013 and 2012, respectively. The US Treasury noted that GL 25 does not lift sanctions on ”terrorist organizations,” perpetrators of human rights abuses, drug traffickers, or former Assad regime members. GL 25 does not have an expiration date, but the US Treasury stated that the United States implemented GL 25 with the understanding that Syria will not provide a “safe haven for terrorist organizations” and will protect its ethno-religious minority communities. The US State Department separately issued a 180-day waiver under the Caesar Act on May 23 to ensure that the Caesar Act does not obstruct economic investment in Syria or prevent the provision of critical humanitarian assistance to Syrians. US congressional approval is required to permanently repeal the Caesar Act. The State Department’s temporary waiver may allow for the international community to provide short-term reconstruction assistance to Syria, however.

Key Takeaways:

• The US Treasury lifted most sanctions on Syria on May 23. The European Union (EU) separately adopted a resolution to lift economic sanctions on Syria on May 28 but also imposed sanctions on Turkish-backed Syrian army commanders and armed factions that committed human rights abuses during the Syrian coastal massacres in early March 2025. The EU Council sanctioned 62nd Division Commander Mohammad al Jassem (Abu Amsha) and 76th Division Commander Saif al Din Boulad (Sayf Abu Bakr) for commanding forces that conducted arbitrary killings, torture, and other targeted violence against civilians, particularly Alawites, in early March 2025. Shara has allowed men, such as Abu Amsha, Sayf Abu Bakr, and others, to continue to operate with relative impunity in Syria and has even promoted several of these men to high-ranking positions within the new Syrian army. Shara’s promotion of individuals who have previously committed human rights abuses against Syrian minority communities will likely increase these communities’ distrust in the transitional government, which threatens to destabilize the Syrian transition.

• Iran and the United States appear to be trying to secure an interim nuclear deal before negotiating a comprehensive nuclear agreement. It is unclear if the reported interim deal that Iran seeks will satisfy US demands. Western media reported in late April 2025 that Iran asked the United States to negotiate an interim deal. The New York Times reported on May 28 that US Special Envoy to the Middle East and lead US negotiator Steve Witkoff has dropped his opposition to an interim deal, citing unspecified participants in the US-Iran nuclear negotiations. Reuters separately reported on May 28 that Iran may be willing to agree to an interim "political deal" that would require Iran to suspend uranium enrichment for one year and ship part of its highly enriched uranium stockpile abroad or convert it into fuel plates. Iran would reportedly not dismantle its nuclear program or infrastructure or close its nuclear installations under this deal. It is unclear whether the United States would accept an interim deal in which Iran could maintain its nuclear infrastructure because such a deal would allow Iran to keep its centrifuges. Iran could quickly restore its highly enriched uranium stockpile if it retains its centrifuges.

• Iran is continuing to deepen ties with non-Western countries to try to challenge the US-led world order. An Iranian delegation led by Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian met with several senior officials, including Russian, Iraqi, and Brazilian officials, in Moscow on May 27 and 28 on the sidelines of the 13th Moscow International Security Conference.

• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted four airstrikes targeting the Houthi-controlled Sanaa Airport on May 28, rendering the airport temporarily inoperable. The IDF airstrikes destroyed the airport's runway and the last operational Yemenia Airways airplane, according to the airport’s director. Previous Israeli airstrikes on May 6 destroyed three other Yemenia Airways airplanes. The IDF conducted these airstrikes in response to repeated Houthi drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, including recent attacks that targeted key Israeli entry points, such as Ben Gurion Airport and Haifa Port.

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