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US Senator Elizabeth Warren (right) and Joe Wilson (left). Photos: Their social media accounts. Graphic: Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US Senator Elizabeth Warren on Monday stated that she and Senator Joe Wilson have sent a letter to the US administration urging it to reevaluate its sanctions on Syria following the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The senators warned that these sanctions may now undermine American national security objectives and hinder Syria’s reconstruction.
The letter, dated March 20, addressed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, urged the US administration, under President Donald Trump, to “modify broad or outdated sanctions prohibitions” that were initially targeted at the ousted Assad regime. They warned that maintaining “sanctions inertia would undercut Syria’s path to stability,” and potentially “spur new migration or entrench reliance on the trafficking and export of illicit drugs” as well as impede reconstruction. They argued that “any US failure” in this regard could be exploited by Iran and Russia.
Following a swift offensive, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa - in early December toppled the Assad regime. Sharaa was appointed as Syria’s interim president in late January, after which he vowed to form an “inclusive transitional government” and sought to open up the country to foreign investment and lift sanctions.
In light of Assad’s ouster, Warren and Wilson urged the Trump administration “to consider unwinding or replacing outdated measures like the broad services and investment prohibitions and other restrictions that have country-wide impact.” They also called for the development of a “roadmap” outlining the specific actions required from Syria’s new leadership before any changes to other sanctions or export controls.
Despite the toppling of the former Syrian regime, the US has thus far maintained a series of sanctions, including those imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which targeted the Assad government, its officials, and entities associated with it. These sanctions remain in place as they are tied to Syria's political and human rights reforms.
The Caesar Act, enacted in 2019, specifically sought to pressure the Syrian government to cease human rights abuses and engage in a political resolution to the Syrian conflict. While there have been some temporary adjustments, such as General License 24 in January 2025 to allow certain transactions for humanitarian aid, US sanctions remain largely intact.
In their March 20 letter, Warren and Wilson also suggested that “emerging terrorist threats should be designated with targeted sanctions,” even as the Trump administration weighs “material support authorization to address any unintended effects on relief and reconstruction resulting from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization [FTO] designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.”
The HTS, which primarily operated in Syria’s eastern Idlib area, emerged from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra in 2017. The US officially designated HTS as an FTO in May 2018 as part of a broader effort to disrupt global terrorist financing and activities.
The senators argued that revising the US sanctions on Syria “could allow additional private and public sector organizations to participate in reconstruction and humanitarian relief,” but “inertia could strengthen hardline factions within Syria.” They stressed that implementing these changes soon “may be critical to avoid harm to US interests and to help the Syrian people build a better future after enduring years of oppressive rule.”
Warren and Wilson also emphasized that protecting Syrian minority groups and rebuilding Syria in a way that prevents the country from becoming “a haven for the [Islamic State] ISIS or a vehicle through which Iran can promote regional destabilization” is in the US national interest.
Importantly, the announcement of the senators’ letter comes only days after Syria’s interim president on Saturday appointed a 23-member cabinet, including four members from minority groups. The appointments, however, have raised concerns as ethnic and religious groups in Syria say they were not consulted during the appointment process.
Sharaa on Saturday remarked, "We strove as much as possible to choose the most competent individual” and “took into consideration the diversity of Syrian society.” While “rejecting power-sharing and opting for participation" in forming the government and selecting its ministers, "we chose people who are competent and experienced, without regard to specific ideological or political inclinations,” he explained.
The cabinet also sparked controversy for its including figures who have been blacklisted by the UN and the US over ties to extremist armed groups, namely Interior Minister Anas Khattab.
On Monday, US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce acknowledged the announcement of the transitional cabinet by Syria’s interim authorities and hoped it “represents a positive step for an inclusive and representative Syria.”
However, she urged the new Damascus leadership to “fully renounce and suppress terrorism, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles, prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory, take meaningful steps to verifiably destroy Assad’s chemical weapons, assist in the recovery of US and other citizens who have been disappeared in Syria, and ensure the security and freedoms of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.”
Bruce explained that the US will continue to assess the behavior of Syria’s interim authorities and determine its next step based on those actions. She asserted that “any adjustment to US policy towards Syria’s interim authorities,” including easing sanctions, “will be contingent on all of those steps.”
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