May 14, 2025 | FDD's Long War Journal
President Trump meets with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, lifts sanctions on Syria
May 14, 2025 | FDD's Long War Journal
President Trump meets with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, lifts sanctions on Syria
President Donald Trump met with Syrian interim president Ahmad al Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al Jolani, a US and UN-designated terrorist and the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham, Syria’s Al Qaeda branch, on Wednesday, May 14, in Riyadh. Trump, who lifted sanctions on Syria, met Sharaa alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the latter of whom joined virtually.
Trump met with Sharaa even though Sharaa remains on the US State Department’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists for his role as a leader within Al Qaeda. Hayat Tahrir al Sham, the group Sharaa led until he disbanded it earlier this year, also remains on State’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The Trump administration has not announced an intention to lift Sharaa’s terrorism designation at this time.
Trump urged Sharaa to sign the Abraham Accords, the series of bilateral agreements between Israel and Arab states that seek to normalize relations between Israel and its neighbors. Additionally, Trump asked Sharaa to expel Palestinian terrorists and foreign jihadists, many of whom are still part of Al Qaeda’s global network, from Syria, take responsibility for managing detention centers holding Islamic State prisoners, and help prevent the Islamic State’s resurgence.
Sharaa thanked Trump and the other leaders, welcomed the Iranian withdrawal from Syria, reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel, and expressed interest in counterterrorism cooperation. He also invited US investment in Syria’s oil and gas sector and pitched Syria as a future trade hub.
However, Sharaa did not commit to signing the Abraham Accords, expelling foreign terrorists, or managing Islamic State detention centers. Despite this refusal to commit to US demands, Trump said on Tuesday that he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, a major US policy shift.
In March, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al Shaibani received a letter from the United States outlining conditions for partial sanctions relief. The Syrian response to the letter noted that Syrian officials had discussed the issue of foreign fighters with former US envoy Daniel Rubinstein but stated that the matter “requires a broader consultative session.” It confirmed that the issuance of new military ranks had been suspended, referencing the controversial December promotions of six foreign fighters—including Uyghurs, a Jordanian, and a Turk—to positions within Syria’s armed forces. However, the letter did not clarify whether those ranks had been revoked or outline any concrete next steps.
A source familiar with Damascus’s position said that the Syrian government intends to delay action on the issue, as it believes non-Syrian rebels who fought to remove Assad deserve favorable treatment.
Sharaa dangles incentives to entice US engagement
The Times reported that Sharaa had proposed a resource-based deal to Trump, modeled after the Ukrainian minerals agreement, in exchange for lifting sanctions imposed on Damascus during the era of the Bashar al Assad regime. According to the report published before Trump announced lifting sanctions on Syria, Trump was considering easing sanctions following the overtures from Sharaa, who offered American companies exploration rights for Syria’s natural resources—mirroring the approach taken with Ukraine’s mineral wealth.
As part of the proposed package, Sharaa also floated the idea of constructing a “Trump Tower” in Damascus. The offer has been pushed by intermediaries, including influential figures from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Trump began a three-day trip in the region, starting with Saudi Arabia, followed by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. During the visit, he is expected to meet with several leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
The Times added that Sharaa may be willing to engage in talks about joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel, following the example set by the UAE and Bahrain during Trump’s first term. Citing security sources, the report also states that Sharaa may be open to establishing a demilitarized zone in southwest Syria, where Israel has maintained a buffer zone near the occupied Golan Heights since 1967.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is reportedly among those advocating for re-engagement with Syria. Known for prioritizing business deals over conventional diplomacy or military entanglements, Trump is seen as receptive to unconventional proposals, and Witkoff is regarded as one of his closest confidants.
Sharaa remains a Specially Designated Global Terrorist
Sharaa, known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al Jolani before ousting the Assad regime in a surprise offensive in December 2024, has a decades-long pedigree with Al Qaeda. However, he has worked hard to brand himself as a moderate to receive foreign support.
Sharaa joined Al Qaeda in Iraq after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and battled US forces until being captured and detained for five years at Camp Bucca, a prison facility that housed Al Qaeda in Iraq captives. The facility was known as a ‘jihadi university,’ as Al Qaeda members effectively controlled the unit and recruited, indoctrinated, and trained future members. According to The Times of Israel, Sharra was “a close associate of Abu Musab al Zarqawi,” the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq, before Zarqawi was tracked down and killed by US special operations forces after an intensive manhunt in 2006.
After his release, Sharaa immediately returned to Al Qaeda’s ranks and reported directly to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who later became the leader of Al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq. Sharaa returned to Syria during the Arab Spring and the uprising against Assad and became Al Qaeda’s leader in the country.
Baghdadi and Sharaa had a dispute over who would lead the jihad in Syria, a disagreement that quickly bled out into the public sphere. Baghdadi wanted Sharaa to report to him under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, while Sharaa sought to lead an independent jihadist front in Syria. The dispute was brought to Ayman al Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s emir, who ultimately sided with Sharaa. This disagreement ultimately led to Baghdadi’s defiance of Al Qaeda’s central leadership and Zawahiri ejecting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria from Al Qaeda.
Sharaa branded his jihad in Syria as the Al Nusrah Front, which became Al Qaeda’s branch in the country. The organization incorporated foreign terror groups such as the Turkistan Islamic Party, which remains active in Sharaa’s coalition to this day. The US State Department listed the Al Nusrah Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in May 2014 for its ties to Al Qaeda.
The Department of National Intelligence (DNI) notes on its website that Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), which Sharaa created to replace the Al Nusrah Front, “seeks to replace it [the Assad regime] with a government guided by a fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law.” Additionally, “HTS uses suicide attacks, guerrilla tactics, and small-arms units to conduct attacks,” while Sharra had “called for retaliatory attacks against the US-led coalition in response to airstrikes in Syria” in 2014.
The US government added Sharaa to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in May 2013 and offered a $10 million reward for Sharaa in May 2017 for his continuing ties to Al Qaeda. Although Sharaa claims to have distanced himself and his terror group from Al Qaeda, he never renounced his oath, and his government is riddled with wanted terrorist leaders linked to Al Qaeda.
In its $10 million reward for Sharaa, the State Department noted that “Under [Sharaa’s] leadership, ANF [the Al Nusrah Front] carried out multiple terrorist attacks throughout Syria, often against civilians.” Sharaa’s followers have been linked to attacks against Syrian civilians in recent weeks.
Foreshadowing the US government’s acceptance of Sharaa’s victory and the normalizing of a veteran jihadist and his cadre, the Biden administration removed the reward for Sharaa shortly after he seized control of the Syrian government to allow US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf met with him and other Hayat Tahrir al Sham leaders in Damascus on December 22, 2024.
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD’s Long War Journal. Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on Iranian intervention in Arab affairs and the levant.