On September 18, 2025, a diplomatic milestone unfolded in Washington, D.C., as Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stepped onto American soil, marking the first official visit by a Syrian foreign minister to the U.S. capital in more than 25 years. Al-Shaibani’s arrival, at the head of an official delegation, was not just a symbolic gesture but a calculated move amid a rapidly shifting Middle Eastern landscape. His mission: to secure the permanent lifting of lingering U.S. sanctions on Damascus and to advance delicate negotiations for a new security arrangement with Israel.
According to Axios and statements from U.S. lawmakers, al-Shaibani’s packed schedule included meetings at the Treasury Department and a series of high-level discussions on Capitol Hill. The centerpiece of these talks was the fate of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a sanctions regime imposed in June 2020 to punish the Assad regime for atrocities ranging from torture to chemical weapons use. Advocates for repeal, including President Donald Trump’s special envoy Tom Barrack, now argue that the Caesar Act is outdated following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the installation of an interim government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jim Risch described his meeting with al-Shaibani as “productive,” focusing on the steps needed for Syria to regain full access to the international economy. “Syria has an opportunity to build a stable democracy, something the region desperately needs right now, and I am hopeful they are on the right track,” Risch posted on X. His optimism was echoed, if cautiously, by Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the committee’s top Democrat, who warned, “We have a small window of opportunity to put Syria on a path toward stability and prosperity.” Shaheen stressed that Syria’s battered economy was in crisis and needed immediate financial support to maintain basic governance, adding, “Members of our recent bipartisan congressional delegation to Syria, as well as senior Administration officials, all agree: now is the time for the Senate to act by repealing the Caesar Act sanctions.”
Yet, the path to sanctions relief is anything but straightforward. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, speaking to Axios, made clear that his support for repealing the Caesar Act is conditional. Graham wants Syria to formally join the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and to reach a new security agreement with Israel. “There’s a lot of support for giving Syria a second chance, but only if they prove they’re serious about regional security,” Graham stated. He also noted that while the Trump administration has granted temporary waivers from some sanctions, only a congressional vote can deliver a permanent repeal.
Al-Shaibani’s trip to Washington followed a significant stop in London, where he engaged in five hours of talks with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, joined by U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack. According to sources cited by Al Jazeera and Israel’s Channel 12, these negotiations made progress on an Israeli proposal for a new security agreement. The Israeli side reportedly offered a detailed plan for demilitarized zones stretching from southwest of Damascus to the Israeli border, a no-fly zone for Syrian aircraft, and restrictions on arms deployments near the frontier. In return, the Syrian delegation insisted that any deal must include Israel’s withdrawal from territories seized after Assad’s regime collapsed and the redeployment of UN peacekeeping forces to the buffer zone.
President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who is set to become the first Syrian president in decades to address the United Nations General Assembly next week, weighed in on the talks, describing the security agreement as a “necessity.” He insisted that any arrangement must respect Syria’s airspace and territorial integrity and be subject to UN monitoring. “We are not discussing normalization with Israel,” al-Sharaa clarified, “but we do believe a security deal is essential for regional stability and for Syria’s reintegration into the international community.”
The U.S. administration, for its part, has sent strong signals of a policy shift. Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that most economic sanctions on Syria had been lifted, fulfilling President Trump’s pledge to “encourage new investment into Syria” and to support the country’s recovery after years of conflict. However, the Caesar Act remains the final legal barrier to Syria’s full return to global markets, making al-Shaibani’s lobbying efforts in Washington all the more urgent.
Tom Barrack, who has played a pivotal role in mediating U.S. policy on Syria, told The Hill he was “hopeful” Congress would pass a full repeal of the Caesar Act. “It’s essential to do what President Trump said and give them a chance, and take the sanctions off,” Barrack argued. “It’s complicated with the Caesar Act, but it starts the flow of business coming. There’s lots of eyes, lots of accountability. Syria’s doing a very good job in doing the things we’ve asked on accountability and I’m hopeful.”
Still, not everyone in Congress is convinced. Some lawmakers remain wary of President al-Sharaa’s past associations with extremist groups and cite recent episodes of ethnic violence as reasons for caution. “We need to see clear progress on human rights and anti-terrorism commitments before we move forward,” one opponent of repeal remarked. The debate underscores the complexity of Syria’s reintegration, with some pushing for a clean break from the Assad era and others urging a more measured approach.
Meanwhile, the U.S. diplomatic corps has seen its own shake-up. Reuters reported that several senior diplomats at the Syria Regional Platform in Istanbul were abruptly dismissed, a move widely interpreted as a sign of Washington’s recalibrated Syria policy. Special envoy Tom Barrack has advocated for integrating U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces into the central government under al-Sharaa, a process that remains fraught with internal divisions and regional sensitivities.
As these negotiations unfold, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed interest in meeting President al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly, though Israeli officials caution that the likelihood remains uncertain. Netanyahu has already confirmed an invitation from President Trump to the White House on September 29, signaling the high stakes and fast-moving nature of regional diplomacy.
For Syria, the stakes could hardly be higher. The removal of the Caesar Act sanctions represents the final step toward economic normalization and global reintegration after more than a decade of conflict and isolation. For the U.S. and its allies, the challenge lies in balancing demands for accountability and security with the promise of a more stable Middle East. As one participant in the Capitol Hill talks put it, “There’s a lot of hope, a lot of skepticism, and a lot riding on these next few weeks.”
The coming days will reveal whether this historic diplomatic push can deliver a sustainable peace and new economic opportunities for Syria—or whether old suspicions and unresolved grievances will keep the doors to the international community only partially open.
