Over 160 Syrian and International Organizations Urge Trump to Ease Sanctions on Syria

ARK News.. A total of 162 Syrian and international organizations have called on U.S. President Donald Trump, along with the Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Commerce, and Defense, to ease sanctions imposed on Syria.

In a letter addressed to congressional committee leaders and members, including those in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and House Financial Services Committee, the organizations highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis in Syria.

The letter emphasized that the Syrian people have endured “unimaginable suffering,” including chemical weapon attacks, systematic torture and enforced disappearances, mass displacement, targeted civilian assaults, and the destruction of infrastructure and private property.

Urgent Economic Recovery Needed

The organizations stressed that Syria is in urgent need of economic recovery, which necessitates easing or lifting sanctions. They argued that Bashar al-Assad has left behind a collapsed economy, devastated infrastructure, widespread poverty, broken government institutions, and one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, compounded by years of international sanctions.

The letter outlined several immediate requests from the U.S. administration, including:

Expanding General License 22 to cover all regions of Syria, thereby allowing investments and commercial transactions beyond the current scope in parts of northwestern and northeastern Syria.

Broadening the special licensing for NGOs to enable more humanitarian and developmental activities.

Extending and making General License 24 permanent to facilitate transactions with the Syrian Central Bank and allow new investments in Syria by U.S. individuals and entities.

Clarifying Sanctions and Lifting Restrictions

The letter also urged the U.S. government to resolve compliance contradictions, particularly by clarifying the distinction between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian government. It called for reconsidering HTS’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and urged the U.S. Department of Justice to guarantee that permitted financial transactions with HTS or Syrian government institutions would not result in legal action.

Furthermore, the organizations demanded:

Removing investment and service bans to allow American entities to engage in business activities in Syria.

Temporarily suspending the Caesar Act sanctions to alleviate economic pressure.

Issuing broad export exemptions for essential goods, including equipment for electricity networks, construction, demining, education, and internet access.

Strategic and Humanitarian Justifications

The letter argued that easing sanctions aligns with U.S. strategic interests, democratic values, and Washington’s leadership role in the Middle East. It emphasized that current sanctions hinder humanitarian efforts and economic stabilization, ultimately undermining long-term peace and recovery in Syria.

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