UN Security Council lifts sanctions on Syrian president and interior minister
The United Nations Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution to remove Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa
NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – The United Nations Security Council has adopted a US-drafted resolution to remove Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the ISIS/Daesh and Al-Qaeda sanctions list — a major diplomatic shift signaling a thaw in relations between Washington and Damascus.
The resolution passed with 14 votes in favor and one abstention from China.
US envoy to the UN Mike Waltz hailed the move, saying, “With the adoption of this text, the Council is sending a strong political signal that recognizes Syria is in a new era. The delisting of President al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Khattab should help give the Syrian people the greatest chance.”
China’s envoy Fu Cong, however, criticized the process, saying the resolution “failed to address the legitimate concerns of all parties” and accused Washington of pushing the Council “to serve its own political agenda.”
He reiterated Beijing’s readiness to work toward “security, stability and development in Syria at an early date.”
Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia welcomed the decision but emphasized that the Council must uphold Syria’s “sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity.”
He called on all states, “including Israel,” to respect international law and end the occupation of Syrian land, including the Golan Heights.
Syria’s UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi thanked the United States for its “tremendous effort” in passing the resolution, calling it aligned with “the historic and courageous decision of President Trump to support Syria in seizing this historic opportunity.”
“Syria welcomes this resolution as a sign of growing confidence in the new Syria, its people, and its leadership,” Olabi said.
The decision comes ahead of al-Sharaa’s scheduled visit to the White House next week — the first by a Syrian president in 80 years — where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces that ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, was declared transitional president in January. Assad fled to Russia in December 2024, ending more than six decades of Baath Party rule.
Following Assad’s fall, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone — a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
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