The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council aimed at lifting international sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, according to a report published Wednesday by the American news outlet Al-Monitor.
Citing diplomatic sources, Al-Monitor revealed that the U.S. has circulated copies of the draft to key Western allies on the Council, including the United Kingdom and France. The proposed resolution calls for the removal of President Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Anas Khattab from the UN sanctions list originally established under counterterrorism measures targeting al-Qaeda and ISIS. The sanctions include restrictions on international travel, which currently require UN Security Council authorization for any exemptions.
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The draft also proposes expanding humanitarian and commercial exemptions to facilitate trade with Syria. Notably, it recommends a narrowly defined relaxation of the arms embargo to allow UN-affiliated agencies to import equipment necessary for demining operations and similar activities, without falling afoul of dual-use regulations.
Initial drafts of the resolution reportedly included a controversial provision to delist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the UN sanctions regime. However, after anticipated opposition—particularly from China—the U.S. revised the text to exclude that element. Instead, Washington is expected to pursue the delisting of HTS through the UN’s sanctions committee, which operates behind closed doors and does not require a public Security Council vote.
The initiative comes just weeks after the U.S. State Department formally removed HTS from its list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). That decision, made in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, took effect immediately and was published in the Federal Register in early July.
While the Trump administration has not officially confirmed the push at the UN, the move appears designed to pave the way for Sharaa’s participation in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York this September. If approved in time, Sharaa would become the first Syrian head of state to address the UN General Assembly since 1967.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Ministry of Information has denied reports of any meetings between President Sharaa and Israeli officials—a rumor that has circulated amid speculation about regional realignments following the Assad regime’s collapse and Iran’s withdrawal from Syria.
This diplomatic maneuver at the UN marks a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Syria’s transitional government, reflecting broader geopolitical recalibrations in the Middle East and a growing willingness in Western capitals to engage with Damascus under its new leadership. However, the proposal is expected to encounter resistance from permanent members of the Security Council, particularly China, and possibly Russia, both of whom have previously blocked similar Western-sponsored measures.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
