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US-Syria relations: Ahmed al-Sharaa makes historic visit to White House

US-Syria relations: Ahmed al-Sharaa makes historic visit to White House
By Tim Hume, Virginia Pietromarchi and Umut Uras
Published On 10 Nov 2025

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10 Nov 2025 - 22:59
 (22:59 GMT)

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Almost a year after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Syrians are facing another fight – for justice and accountability. Watch this episode of Start Here, produced in Syria.

To read about Trump’s removal of Syrian President al-Sharaa from a “terrorist” sanctions list before today’s meeting, click here.

And for other Syria-related stories, here is our dedicated page.

10 Nov 2025 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

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But before we go, let’s have a recap of what happened today:

  • US President Donald Trump has welcomed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House in a historic visit.
  • Talks between Trump and al-Sharaa, who was once wanted by the US for his affiliation with al-Qaeda, have marked a major recalibration of US relations with Syria. According to experts, the meeting could pave the way to Syria’s open access to the Pentagon, US intelligence sharing, and the reception of arms and technical assistance from the Americans.
  • Soon after the meeting, the US Treasury Department announced the lifting of sanctions, with some exceptions, on Damascus for another six months.
  • Only the US Congress can issue a full repeal of the economic restrictions, known as the Caesar Act, against Syria. And that is a move that’s still under consideration.
  • Syria said in a statement that it will move on a plan to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the ranks of the Syrian army.
  • The US also stressed its support for reaching a security agreement between Syria and Israel, the ministry added. Speaking at the Oval Office, Trump made a similar comment, saying his administration “was working with Israel to get along with Syria”.
  • Ahead of the meeting, there were expectations for the Syrian president to sign an agreement for his country to join a US-led coalition of more than 80 countries working to prevent a resurgence of the ISIL (ISIS). While no military agreement was announced, the Syrian information minister said after the meeting that a “political” agreement was recently signed with the coalition.
10 Nov 2025 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

WATCH: How sanctions cripple Syria’s economy and its people

As Syrian President al-Sharaa becomes the first Syrian leader to visit the White House, Syria remains crippled by sanctions.

Business owners are warning that, unless some restrictions are lifted, industries that are still functioning are at risk of shutting down.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reports from Damascus:

10 Nov 2025 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

‘Truly historic’ for both Damascus and Washington: Ex-US official

Thomas Warrick, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, says it would have been unthinkable for a new president of Syria to be “greeted warmly in the Oval Office” by a US president in Washington, DC, even a year ago.

“Everyone would have thought you are completely mad, and yet here we have the pictures,” said Warrick, who was also a former US deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism policy.

“This is truly historic for both Syria and the United States, and for the larger Middle East,” the analyst said.

He commented that the US has three priorities for Syria, which are counterterrorism against ISIL (ISIS), reducing Iran’s influence in Syrian affairs and improving the ties between Israel and Syria, with, eventually, Damascus joining the Abraham Accords.

He concluded that, on the first two, the two leaders are closely aligned, whereas Syria joining the Abraham Accords would not happen anytime soon.

10 Nov 2025 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

Syria signs cooperation declaration with global coalition to defeat ISIL, minister says

Syria recently signed a political cooperation declaration with the global coalition to defeat ISIL (ISIS), the Syrian information minister said in a post on X.

“The agreement is political and until now contains no military components,” he said.

10 Nov 2025 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

Trump hints at collaboration with Israel, Syria, possible sign of Abraham Accords expansion

By Alan Fisher

Reporting from Washington, DC

Trump’s reference that he is “working also with Israel on getting along with Syria” would certainly build into the idea that Donald Trump thinks that there is more life in the Abraham Accords [a 2020 agreement that normalised ties between several Arab and Muslim states and Israel].

We’ve seen that there was a new addition to the Abraham Accords last week [Kazakhstan], for which there’ll be a signing at some point in the next few weeks at the White House.

Donald Trump would like to see more countries join. Saudi Arabia is his big fish. He is, after that, hoping that the meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, next week will deliver something in that direction. That’s more optimistic than realistic at this stage.

But there has also been talk that Syria may well be one of the signatories to the Abraham Accords, working and recognising Israel, which would be a huge departure for any government in Syria.

10 Nov 2025 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Turkish foreign minister attended meeting with US, Syrian leaders

We reported earlier that Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the meeting with al-Sharaa and Trump.

Now we learn from a statement released by Syria’s Foreign Ministry that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also joined a “working meeting” with the others.

10 Nov 2025 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)
Houthi

Trump says he gets along with Syrian president

The US president is currently speaking in the Oval Office and says that the world should expect “some announcements on Syria”, following his meeting with the Syrian president.

“We want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful, and we think this leader can do it,” Trump told reporters

“He gets along very well with Turkiye, with President Erdogan… We’re working also with Israel on getting along with Syria”.

10 Nov 2025 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)
Houthi

Syrian Democratic Forces to be integrated into Syrian army

Syria and the US have agreed to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the ranks of the Syrian army, Syria’s Foreign Ministry has said in a statement.

The move comes as part of a process to unify institutions and boost national security, it said.

The US, the statement added, also stressed its support for reaching a security agreement between Syria and Israel.

10 Nov 2025 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Video shows Syrian president, nervous security detail, greeting White House crowd

Video posted on X by a journalist for Saudi outlet Al Arabiya shows Ahmed al-Sharaa being handed a scarf with the Syrian flag on it, as his security detail attempts to keep him moving.

Al-Sharaa greeted members of the Syrian community in Washington, DC, after his historic meeting with US President Donald Trump today at the White House.

Translation: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa gets out of a car to greet the Syrian community that waited for him in front of the White House. 

10 Nov 2025 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)

Photos: Al-Sharaa meets Trump at White House

An Oval Office view is seen during the Trump and al-Sharaa meeting [Syrian Presidency/Handout via Anadolu]
Trump speaks to Al-Sharaa [Syrian Presidency/Handout via Anadolu]
The two leaders shake hands as al-Sharaa gestures [Syrian Presidency/Handout via Anadolu]

10 Nov 2025 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

WATCH: US partially lifts sanctions on Syria after Al-Sharaa-Trump meeting

The US is suspending the majority of the sanctions on Syria for 180 days.

The move follows what has been described as a historic meeting between presidents Ahmed al-Sharaa and Donald Trump.

Syria’s al-Sharaa was greeted by supporters outside the White House as he left.

Al Jazeera’s White House correspondent Kimberly Halkett has more:

 

10 Nov 2025 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)
Houthi

Al-Sharaa, Trump discuss developing Syrian-US ties and shared global concerns: Presidency

In a short statement on social media, the Syrian presidency said al-Sharaa and Trump discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop those ties.

They also talked about “regional and international issues of common interest”.

Also present at the meeting were Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the statement added.

10 Nov 2025 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

Millions of Syrian refugees live in neighbouring countries

Syria’s population exceeds 25 million, according to United Nations data.

More than 6 million Syrians fled the country and became refugees after the war started in 2011.

According to the UN data, there are currently about 4 million registered Syrian refugees abroad.

Turkiye hosts about 2.4 million, followed by Lebanon at approximately 636,000 and Jordan with more than 436,400.

10 Nov 2025 - 19:30
 (19:30 GMT)
Analysis

Al-Sharaa walking delicate line, shoring up domestic support while appearing ‘acceptable’ abroad

By Osama Bin Javaid

Reporting from Damascus, Syria

If you look at this visit, I think you have to look at the first visual that came out of it, which was Ahmed al-Sharaa playing basketball with US military officials.

Just a couple of weeks ago, he was at morning prayers at a mosque in Damascus.

And that is the two sides of the Syrian leadership that he has to juggle, balancing a hard-line support base in Syria and making sure that he is acceptable, and he says the right things to the right people in the outside world.

And it seems to be working.

10 Nov 2025 - 19:15
 (19:15 GMT)

Photos: Scenes outside White House as al-Sharaa greets supporters

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waves to supporters from a vehicle outside the White House on Monday, November 10, 2025, in Washington, DC, following his meeting with US President Donald Trump [Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]
Motiah Boustany, of Charlestown, West Virginia, holds a banner depicting al-Sharaa outside the White House [Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]
[Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]
[Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo]

10 Nov 2025 - 19:00
 (19:00 GMT)

US Treasury says sanctions lifted to let Syria ‘rebuild and thrive’

The US Department of the Treasury has said that President Donald Trump “is delivering on his commitment to give Syria ‘a chance at greatness’” by suspending its new raft of sanctions, known as the Caesar Act.

According to the statement, this is “to let them rebuild and thrive by lifting US sanctions and ensuring accountability for harmful actors”.

It added: “The US government has adopted new policies and regulatory posture to encourage US businesses and banks, the international community, the Syrian people, and regional partners to contribute to Syria’s stability while denying resources to harmful actors.”

10 Nov 2025 - 18:55
 (18:55 GMT)

US Treasury exercises sanctions waiver, but Syria seeks permanent relief

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from Washington, DC

This is not what the Syrian president wanted.

The US president already had the ability to waive the sanctions every six months, and so he’s exercising that power.

What the Syrian leader wanted was a permanent lifting, and only the US Congress can do that, and it’s still in recess due to the shutdown.

So the Treasury, which is part of the Trump administration, has taken as much action as it can. It’s clear that this is a symbolic act happening right after the meeting was wrapped up.

But it won’t go far enough in the eyes of al-Sharaa, given the fact that he is looking for the Caesar Act to be permanently lifted, and very quickly.

10 Nov 2025 - 18:45
 (18:45 GMT)

What are the Syria sanctions the US suspended?

Washington has suspended the imposition of Caesar Act sanctions on Syria in part for 180 days, the Treasury Department has said.

According to the statement, the following restrictions have been lifted:

  • The United States no longer imposes “comprehensive sanctions” on Syria.
  • The Caesar Act is suspended, except for sanctionable transactions with Russia and Iran.
  • The transfer of most basic civilian-use, US-origin goods, as well as software and technology, to or within Syria is permitted without a licence.

What restrictions remain?

  • Sanctions remain on “the worst of the worst”: former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his associates, human rights abusers, Captagon drug traffickers, and other “destabilising regional actors”.
  • The US government continues to review Syria’s “State Sponsor of Terrorism’ (SST) designation.
  • Most Commerce Control List (CCL) items going to Syria still require a US export licence.

The decision replaces the May 23 waiver of Caesar Act sanctions, according to the Department of the Treasury.

It added: “The suspension halts the imposition of sanctions pursuant to the Caesar Act except for certain transactions involving the governments of Russia and Iran, or the transfer of provisions of Russian-origin or Iranian-origin goods, technology, software, funds, financing, or services.”

10 Nov 2025 - 18:35
 (18:35 GMT)
Houthi

Crowd cheers al-Sharaa outside White House

Live footage shows hundreds of people cheering as al-Sharaa leaves the White House following a historic meeting with his American counterpart, Donald Trump.

People carrying Syrian flags seem excited as they catch a glimpse of the Syrian president.

This was a meeting closed to reporters, who did not get a chance to see the two leaders or to attend a formal briefing in front of the cameras.