On Monday, November 10, 2025, the White House played host to a moment that few could have predicted just a year ago: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, once a wanted militant and former prisoner of the United States, stepped into the Oval Office to meet President Donald Trump. The meeting marked the first time a Syrian head of state had visited the White House in nearly 80 years, underscoring a dramatic shift in both Syria’s global standing and the tumultuous trajectory of its interim president.
According to Reuters, the visit capped a whirlwind year for al-Sharaa, who led rebel forces to topple Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, ending more than five decades of Assad family rule. In the wake of that victory, al-Sharaa shed his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, and began the arduous task of transforming from a notorious jihadist commander—once designated a terrorist by the U.S. with a $10 million bounty on his head—into a statesman seeking to rebuild and reconcile a war-torn country.
Al-Sharaa’s presence at the White House was not just symbolic. As detailed by BBC, the talks aimed to bring Syria officially into the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS), a move that would align Damascus with 88 other nations fighting the extremist group and open the door for closer military cooperation with the United States. Two U.S. officials told NBC News that al-Sharaa was expected to formalize Syria’s commitment to the coalition during his visit.
The diplomatic overture follows a series of rapid changes in Syria’s international relationships. In the months since taking power, al-Sharaa has worked to distance himself and his government from Iran and Russia—longtime backers of Assad—and instead sought engagement with Turkey, the Gulf states, and the West. He’s toured wealthy Gulf capitals to drum up investment, addressed the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025 (the first Syrian president to do so in almost 60 years), and, in October, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss economic projects in energy, transport, and tourism, as reported by The New York Times.
But the most striking shift came in the days leading up to the White House meeting. On November 6, the United Nations Security Council, at the urging of the United States, voted to lift sanctions on al-Sharaa and his government officials. The U.S. State Department followed suit, removing al-Sharaa and his interior minister from its Specially Designated Global Terrorist list on November 7. The United Kingdom and European Union quickly mirrored these moves, signaling a new era for Damascus. "The pace with which sanctions have been eased on Syria since May has been absolutely spectacular," Karam Shaar, research director at the Operations and Policy Center, told NBC News.
Yet, as Reuters noted, the toughest hurdle remains the Caesar Sanctions Act, passed in 2019 in response to human rights abuses under Assad. While President Trump has waived these sanctions, their permanent repeal requires Congressional action—a point al-Sharaa is expected to press hard, arguing that lingering sanctions deter much-needed international investment in Syria’s reconstruction. The World Bank estimates rebuilding Syria will cost at least $216 billion. Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, put it bluntly: "Repealing sanctions with conditions is like a hanging shadow that paralyses any initiatives for our country."
Trump, for his part, has been effusive in his praise of Syria’s new leader. After their first meeting in Saudi Arabia in May, Trump described al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past, very strong past. Fighter." In the run-up to Monday’s meeting, Trump told reporters, "I think he’s doing a very good job. It’s a tough neighborhood, and he’s a tough guy, but I got along with him very well and a lot of progress has been made with Syria." The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, framed the visit as "part of the president’s efforts in diplomacy to meet with anyone around the world in the pursuit of peace."
Security and regional realignment were high on the agenda. The U.S. is reportedly brokering talks on a possible security pact between Syria and Israel, which remains wary of al-Sharaa’s militant past. According to Reuters, the U.S. is also planning to establish a military presence at a Damascus airbase, a move that would have been unthinkable under Assad’s rule.
But al-Sharaa’s journey to Washington was not without its shadows. Just hours before the summit, word emerged of two separate Islamic State plots to assassinate him, both foiled in recent months, according to Syrian and Middle Eastern security officials. Over the weekend, the Syrian interior ministry launched a nationwide campaign against IS cells, arresting more than 70 suspects, government media reported.
Domestically, al-Sharaa faces a daunting set of challenges. Sectarian violence has flared since Assad’s fall, with more than 2,500 killed in recent bouts, deepening divisions and raising questions about the government’s ability to represent all Syrians. Minority communities, including the Druze in Sweida, have voiced skepticism. "He does not represent the Syrian people," said Sami Zain Al-Din, a longtime activist from Sweida, as quoted by NBC News. Others, like Dr. Jalnar Hamad, see the White House meeting as a potential "new chapter" for development and reconstruction.
For the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the Trump-al-Sharaa meeting was seen as an opportunity to redefine Syria’s political future. Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, said it was a chance to address "the rights of the Kurdish people and the coalition partners who fought terrorism on behalf of the world."
International observers are watching closely. Burcu Ozcelik of the Royal United Services Institute called the visit "a high-level sign of the trust that the American administration has placed in al-Sharaa—and the hope that he will succeed in holding Syria together during this incredibly complicated transition period." But as John Jenkins, a former British diplomat, cautioned, "the key issues are domestic."
As Syria attempts to emerge from 14 years of civil war, the stakes could hardly be higher. The country’s social fabric remains fragile, and the threat of renewed violence or political backsliding is never far away. Yet, as Firas Maksad of the Eurasia Group told Reuters, "the first ever visit by a Syrian president to Washington is a moment of hope that Syria is on the right track." For now, the world waits to see whether this historic handshake in the Oval Office will mark a true turning point—or just another fleeting chapter in Syria’s long, troubled story.
