UN Security Council Lifts Sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa

The UN Security Council late Thursday adopted a resolution removing Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the international sanctions list, Orda.kz reports, citing Reuters.

The U.S.-drafted resolution passed with 14 votes in favor and one abstention from China. It marks the first Syria-related resolution adopted by the Council since the fall of the former regime.

Before the decision, the U.S. had pushed for their removal. Al-Sharaa is also set to meet with Donald Trump.

Following the vote, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi, welcomed the decision as proof of “growing international confidence in the new Syria, its people, and its sincere and constructive approach” in engaging with the Security Council and the international community, according to SANA.

The draft resolution is consistent with the historic and courageous decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to support Syria in seizing this opportunity,
 Olabi said, thanking Council members for their “positive engagement” and unified support.

He stressed that the decision reaffirms the Council’s “commitment to respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national unity.” Olabi added that the new Syria’s foreign policy aims to make the country “a state of peace and partnership — not a battleground for conflicts or rivalries, a bridge for development and prosperity — not a source of threat or instability.”

On Friday, Syria’s Foreign Ministry also praised the resolution, describing it as a symbol of renewed international unity in support of the country’s stability and sovereignty.

The ministry emphasized that lifting sanctions on President al-Sharaa and Minister Khattab reflected “growing confidence” in Syria’s leadership and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting citizens’ rights, maintaining civil peace, and combating terrorism and drug trafficking.

It concluded by thanking Security Council members for their consensus and reaffirming Damascus’s readiness to cooperate with the international community “to achieve peace, reconstruction, and long-term development.”