Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa
UK lifts sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa
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- Britain lifts sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab.
- UN Security Council removed similar measures, citing no active HTS–al-Qaeda ties.
- Al-Sharaa had been sanctioned since 2014 for past affiliations with HTS and al-Qaeda.
- The decisions precede Al-Sharaa’s scheduled White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Britain announced on Friday that it has lifted sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab, following a similar decision by the United Nations Security Council. The move comes ahead of Al-Sharaa’s scheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House next week.
Both leaders had previously been subject to targeted financial sanctions over alleged links to Daesh and al-Qaeda. Sharaa, who became Syria’s president in January after insurgent forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad, was sanctioned by the UN and the UK in 2014, which included a travel ban, asset freeze, and arms embargo.
The UN Security Council lifted these measures on Thursday, stating that there were no active ties between HTS and al-Qaeda. The UK followed suit with its announcement, clearing the way for diplomatic engagement with the United States.
