A senior official in U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration revealed that Washington continues to engage with the Syrian government with extreme caution, stressing that any potential shift in U.S. policy toward Damascus will depend on concrete actions—foremost among them, Syria’s cooperation with American efforts to combat ISIS.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the official stated:
“We are proceeding with extreme caution in our dealings with Syria until President Ahmad al-Sharaa proves he has purged his government of foreign extremists and remnants of al-Qaeda, and demonstrates an ability to unify Syria’s various minority communities.”
The official, one of several U.S. and international figures who spoke on condition of anonymity due to diplomatic sensitivities, added:
“Our aim is not necessarily to save Syria for the sake of the Syrian people. What we want is to ensure Iran does not return, and that ISIS does not re-emerge. That is a vital national interest for the American people.”
Conditions for Easing Sanctions
At an international meeting held in Brussels last month, a mid-level Trump administration official presented Syria’s new foreign minister with a list of eight “confidence-building steps” that Washington says are required for any partial easing of sanctions.
According to The Washington Post, which obtained a copy of the list, the conditions include allowing U.S. forces to conduct counterterrorism operations inside Syria against any individuals Washington designates as national security threats.
The list also calls for Damascus to issue a formal public statement banning all Palestinian political factions and activities on Syrian soil, and to deport their members—measures described as necessary to “alleviate Israeli concerns.”
Despite ongoing U.S. efforts to scale down its military presence in Syria, the list further requests that the Syrian government publicly endorse Operation Inherent Resolve—the mission carried out by approximately 2,000 U.S. troops targeting ISIS remnants in Syria.
Gradual Drawdown of U.S. Forces
A U.S. Department of Defence official told The Washington Post on Wednesday that while Washington is not currently considering a full withdrawal from Syria, it is moving ahead with plans to streamline and reposition its military presence in key areas.
This strategy, he said, runs parallel to renewed negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program, which began last week.
“Things are progressing well, though they likely won’t announce anything concrete until the Iran talks advance further,” the official added, noting that a second round of discussions is scheduled to take place this weekend in Rome.
In the same context, a senior U.S. official specialising in Middle East affairs confirmed that the administration intends to reduce troop levels in Syria to a minimum:
“I believe we’ll be scaling down to a very small footprint in northeastern Syria.”
“We’re Watching Their Actions, Not Their Words”
The Trump administration official reiterated Washington’s scepticism about the Syrian government’s intentions:
“We are watching their actions, not their words,” he said, dismissing Damascus’s newly issued constitutional declaration as “nothing more than an Islamic charter in disguise.”
Meanwhile, President Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, struck a more optimistic tone. In a recent interview with American broadcaster Tucker Carlson, Witkoff remarked:
“There’s mounting evidence that Sharaa is no longer the same person he once was. People are capable of change.”
Witkoff suggested that normalising relations with Syria could eventually become part of a “historic” peace agreement encompassing the wider Middle East.
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.
