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 Syria |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Syria, Washington D.C. | Embassy of the United States, Damascus |
Diplomatic relations betweenSyria and theUnited States began in 1835, suspended in 2012 after the onset of theSyrian civil war, and reopened in September 2025. Priority issues between the two states include theArab–Israeli conflict, the Golan Heights annexation,alleged state-sponsorship of terrorism, etc. As of 2025, the United States had begun to work with thenew Syrian government after the collapse of theformer regime under the Assad family.[1]
The US government addedBa'athist Syria, which seized power in 1963, to its first list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism" in 1979, over its funding of Palestinian and other insurgent factions in the region. Syria is the only country from the original 1979 list to remain continuously on the list to the present day, in large part due to its support ofHezbollah.[2] From the period of the "war on terror", the U.S. government has imposed a series ofeconomic sanctions on Syria. These include legislatively mandated penalties, including export sanctions and ineligibility to receive most forms of U.S. aid or to purchase U.S. military equipment.
After the government crackdown on2011 Syrian revolution, the US (alongside theEuropean Union andArab League) withdrew diplomatic recognition ofBashar al-Assad and imposed further sanctions against his government.[3][4] According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, through a poll conducted during the Syrian civil war, 29% ofSyrians approve of U.S. leadership, with 40% disapproving and 31% uncertain.[5]
From the early stages of the conflict in Syria in 2011, the US and its allies have provided political, military and logistic support to theSyrian opposition and demanded the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power as a pre-requisite to any political solution in the country.[6][7][8] Since 2012, United States has recognized theSyrian National Revolutionary Coalition (SNRC) as "the legitimate representative" of the Syrian government.[9][10] In May 2014, SNRC's diplomatic offices were accredited by the US as its official foreign mission toSyria.[11][12]
Duringhis visit to the Middle East in 2025, Trump announced lifting allsanctions on Syria and began the process of normalizing relations between the two countries.[13]Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the United States on September 22, 2025, to address the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, marking the first time in 60 years that a Syrian leader visits the US.[14][15][16] He also visited the White House in November of the same year, becoming the first Syrian leader to do so.[17]
The official relations began in 1835 when the United States first appointed U.S. consuls toAleppo which was then a part of theOttoman Empire.[18] After Syrian independence was declared in 1941 the United States established a consulate inDamascus. On September 7, 1943, the United States recognized an independent Syria, appointingGeorge Wadsworth to the diplomatic mission.
As a result of a failed1957 CIA coup attempt to topple Syrian presidentShukri al-Quwatli, Syria asked US ambassadorJames S. Moose to leave Damascus. In return Syrian ambassadorFaris Zain al-Din [de] was recalled to Syria.[18] Following the1961 Syrian coup, there was a brief period of warm relations between the United States and theSyrian Arab Republic.[19] In 1967, U.S.–Syrian relations were severed again after theSix-Day War which resulted in Israel's occupation of theGolan Heights. Following the achievement of theAgreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, relations resumed in June 1974, and, afterwards, U.S. presidentRichard Nixon visited Damascus on an official trip to meet PresidentHafez al-Assad. On May 9, 1977, President al-Assad met U.S. presidentJimmy Carter inGeneva to discuss theArab–Israeli conflict.[20]
Syria was added to theU.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism on the list's inception in 1979. In a 1986 interview on CNN, former US Secretary of StateAlexander Haig, when asked which country he regarded as the world's worst state sponsor of terrorism, answered "unquestionably Syria."[citation needed] Also in 1986, the U.S. withdrew its ambassador and imposed additional administrative sanctions on Syria in response to evidence of direct Syrian involvement in an attempt to blow up an Israeli airplane. A U.S. ambassador returned toDamascus in 1987, partially in response to positive Syrian actions against terrorism such as expelling theAbu Nidal Organization from Syria and helping free an American hostage earlier that year.[21]
During theGulf War in 1990–91, Syria cooperated with the United States as a member of the multinational coalition of forces. The U.S. and Syria also consulted closely on the Taif Accord, ending theLebanese Civil War.
In 1991, Syrian presidentHafez al-Assad made a historic decision to accept then-PresidentBush's invitation to attend a Middle East peace conference and to engage in subsequent bilateral negotiations withIsrael. Syria improved its relations with the United States by securing the release of Western hostages held in Lebanon and lifting the travel restrictions onSyrian Jews.
Throughout the Clinton administration there were multiple attempts to engage al-Assad in Middle East peace negotiations. These include several presidential summits including a visit by PresidentBill Clinton to Syria in 1994;[22] the last one occurred when then-President Bill Clinton met President Hafez al-Assad in Geneva in March 2000.[23]
In the aftermath of theSeptember 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, the Syrian government began limited cooperation with U.S. in thewar on terror. In one such case, Syrian intelligence alerted the U.S. of anal-Qaeda plan similar to theUSS Cole bombing, which was to fly a hang glider loaded with explosives into the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters inBahrain.[24]
Syria's opposition to theIraq War deteriorated relations. Serious contention arose because the Syrian government failed to prevent foreign fighters from using Syrian borders to enter Iraq and refused to deport the elements from the formerSaddam Hussein government that supported the Iraqi insurgency. In turn, Syrian officials had concerns due to the high influx of Iraqi refugees into their country. In May 2003, the U.S. secretary of state,Colin Powell, visited Damascus to demand Syrian closure of the offices ofHamas,Islamic Jihad and thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.[25][26]
Issues of U.S. concern include its ongoing interference in Lebanese affairs, its protection of the leadership of Palestinian rejectionist groups in Damascus,its human rights record, and its pursuit ofweapons of mass destruction. Relations diminished after theassassination of former Lebanese prime ministerRafik Hariri. In February 2005, in the wake of the Hariri assassination, the U.S. recalled its ambassador to Washington.
The 2003Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act imposed sanctions on Syria, banning the majority of exports to Syria except food and medicine, specifically prohibiting the export of most goods containing more than 10% U.S.-manufactured component parts to Syria.[27]
A series of executive orders targeting Syria's government were enacted by PresidentGeorge W. Bush which included Executive Orders 13315, 13224, 13382, 13338, 13399, 13441, and 13460. These sanctions are imposed on certain Syrian citizens or entities due to their participation in terrorism, acts of public corruption, or their destabilizing activities in Iraq and Lebanon. In May 2004, a new comprehensive set of economic sanctions were enacted under the Bush administration by Executive Order 13338.[28]
On September 12, 2006, the U.S. Embassy was attacked by four armed assailants with guns, grenades and a car bomb (which failed to detonate). Syrian Security Forces successfully countered the attack, killing three attackers and injuring one. Two other Syrians killed during the attack were a government security guard and a passerby. The Syrian government publicly stated that terrorists had carried out the attack. The U.S. government did not receive an official Syrian government assessment of the motives or organization behind the attack, but security was upgraded at U.S. facilities. The Syrian ambassador to the U.S.,Imad Moustapha, blamed the attack onJund al-Sham;[29] meanwhile, PresidentBashar al-Assad, however, blamed U.S. foreign policy in the region as contributing to the incident.[citation needed][30]
The U.S. has also blamed Syria for the movement of foreign al-Qaeda affiliates into Iraq.[31] The movement of these foreign fighters peaked between 2005 and 2007; however, Syria attempted to decrease such movement through increased monitoring of borders, and improved screening practices of those crossing the border. After 2009, the Syrian government indicated willingness to increase border security cooperation between Iraqi and US forces.[citation needed]
In 2008, the CIA and the U.S.Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) carried out aparamilitary raid targetingal-Qaeda in Iraq in the town of Sukkariyeh inAbu Kamal. Subsequent reports revealed that nearly a dozen similar operations had taken place in Syria, Pakistan, and elsewhere since a 2004 classified executive order, theAl Qaeda Network Exord, permitted such missions, stipulating that those in sensitive countries such as Syria and Pakistan required presidential approval.[32][33]
Diplomatic cables between the US embassy in Damascus and the State Department that were released byWikiLeaks in 2011 revealed that, starting during the presidency of George W. Bush, the US gave financial support to political opposition groups and related projects, at least through September 2010. The cables were sent because embassy staff became worried as Syrian intelligence agents were investigating these programs. The financing included $6 million to theBarada TV satellite channel which broadcast anti-government programming into Syria. Barada was closely affiliated with theMovement for Justice and Development, a London-based network of Syrian exiles.[34]
The Obama administration initiated a policy of rapprochement with Syria. However, with the governments' violent response to theSyrian civil war in 2011, relations cooled dramatically and senior American officials, including President Obama himself, repeatedly called for Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad to resign.
Syria has publicly condemned international terrorist attacks, as it denies any involvement in Hariri killing. According to theCouncil on Foreign Relations in 2010, Syria actively barred any Syrian-based terrorist attacks and targeting of Westerners, instead providing “passive support” to groups it deems as legitimate resistance movements.[35] The United States characterizes this as providing safe-havens for terrorist groups, as the Syrian government allows groups such asHamas,Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command to operate within its borders.[31] The U.S. believes that Syria provides tactical and political support to these groups and in April 2010 condemned Syria as it believed it provides SCUD missiles toHezbollah forces inLebanon.[35]
In February 2010 the UStravel advisory for American citizens traveling to Syria was lifted.[36] The advisory had been in place since the 2006 embassy bombing attempt. The US Embassy in Syria reported that, "After carefully assessing the current situation in Syria, we determined that circumstances didn't merit extending the travel warning.” This move was seen by many as one of the first steps towards better bilateral relations.
On February 17, 2010, U.S. president Barack Obama appointed American diplomatRobert Stephen Ford to serve as the new U.S. ambassador to Syria, the first since 2005 in the aftermath of the Hariri assassination.[37] Shortly after Ford's appointment, Under Secretary of State for Political AffairsWilliam J. Burns arrived inDamascus and hosted talks with PresidentBashar al-Assad in an attempt to revive relations. The talks were described as "candid" and that common ground was met on those issues pertaining to Iraq and Lebanon.[38] In July 2010, SenatorArlen Specter met with al-Assad in attempts to further continue the new dialogue. In meetings revolved around discussing "specific steps to promote regional stability, revive Syria–Israel peace talks, and strengthen U.S.–Syrian bilateral relations."[39]
As theconflict in Syria had intensified, U.S. president Obama in mid-August 2011 stated publicly that Syria's president Bashar al-Assad should step down.[40] The U.S. pushed strongly for theUnited Nations Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the Syrian government's measures to suppress the rebellion and adoptingeconomic sanctions against Syria in late September and early October 2011, and whenRussia and thePeople's Republic of China wielded their veto power to block the proposal, AmbassadorSusan Rice expressed "outrage".[41]
Relations were further strained by Syrian security forces' failure to protectRobert Stephen Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, from being attacked by pro-Assad crowds on at least two occasions, as well as to prevent vandalism of the U.S. embassy and diplomatic property.[42] On October 24, 2011, the U.S. announced that it had recalled Ambassador Ford due to "credible threats against his personal safety."[43]
After the revelation of theHoula massacre in May 2012, the U.S. State Department announced that the Syrian chargé d'affaires in Washington had been given 72 hours to leave the country.[44]
Effective February 6, 2012, the U.S. Embassy suspended operations and closed for normal consular services. Currently, US interests in Syria are represented by an Interests Section in the Embassy of theCzech Republic.[45]
In December 2012, US presidentBarack Obama announced the US would formally recognise theSyrian Opposition Coalition, rather than theAssad government, as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. As of 2012[update], the embassy of the United States is suspended due to the Syrian civil war.[46] TheSyrian National Revolutionary Coalition’s offices have been recognized by the United States as its official diplomatic missions to Syria since May 2014.[47][48]
On September 4, 2013, the Syrian Parliament addressed a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives. This letter argued against a U.S. bombing campaign against Syria, appealing to the two governments' common fight against Islamic extremism and blaming recent chemical weapons attacks on insurgents.[49][50][better source needed]
In May 2010, PresidentBarack Obama renewed Bush's sanctions against Syria.[51] As of 2010, there have been 20 Syrian citizens who have been sanctioned. On August 18, 2011,Executive Order 13582 signed by President Obama froze all assets of the government of Syria, prohibited U.S. persons from engaging in any transaction involving the government of Syria, banned U.S. imports of Syrian-origin petroleum or petroleum products, prohibited U.S. persons from having any dealings in or related to Syria's petroleum or petroleum products, and prohibited U.S. persons from operating or investing in Syria.[52] This is considered the start of the comprehensive U.S. embargo on Syria.
Between 2013 and 2017, under the aegis of the covert CIA-directed operationTimber Sycamore and the overt Department of Defence-ledSyrian Train and Equip Program, the US trained and armed nearly 10,000 rebel fighters at a cost of $1 billion a year.[53] The CIA had been sending weapons to anti-government rebels in Syria since at least 2012.[54] Some of these weapons reportedly fell into hands of extremists, such asal-Nusra Front andISIL.[55][56] Former CIA analyst andBrookings Institution fellowBruce Riedel has stated that Saudi support for the program has givenSaudi Arabia greater say over American policy in the Syrian civil war.[57]
During and after his campaign, Trump proposed establishing safe zones in Syria as an alternative to Syrian refugees' immigration to the US. In the past "safe zones" have been interpreted as establishing, among other things, no-fly zones over Syria. During the Obama administrationTurkey encouraged the US to establish safe zones; the Obama administration was concerned about the potential for pulling the US into a war with Russia.[58] Although safe zones were not in the final version of Trump's controversialExecutive Order 13769, anearlier draft leaked several days before would have required the US to create a plan for safe zones in Syria.
On January 30, 2017, the Saudi government informed Trump that it supported the creation of safe zones in Syria and Yemen.[59] Two days later, on February 2, 2017, Trump discussed safe zones with the government ofJordan.[60] On February 3 the U.S. securedLebanon's backing for safe zones in Syria.[61] On February 1, 2017, Russia asked the U.S. to be more specific on its safe-zone plan and expressed hope the U.S. would discuss it with Russia before implementation.[62] On February 3, 2017, theUnited Nations High Commissioner on Refugees opposed safe zones.[63] On February 10, 2017, Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad, while welcoming a notion that U.S. troops might fight alongside Syria, rejected the proposal for safe zones as "not a realistic idea at all".[64]
It was reported in July 2017 that PresidentDonald Trump had ordered a "phasing out" of the CIA's support for anti-government rebels.[65] It was reportedly done in order to improve relations with Russia. It was said it would be done not without a return.[65] In December 2017, Max Abrams and John Glaser asserted in theLos Angeles Times that "[ISIL] imploded right after external support for the 'moderate' rebels dried up."[66]
On December 19, 2018, President Trump announced that he ordered the pullout of all 2,000–2,500 U.S. troops operating in Syria, though no clear timetable was given.[67] U.S. operations inal-Tanf continued into 2019.[68]
On March 29, 2017, during the presidency of Donald Trump theUnited States secretary of stateRex Tillerson expressed that the longer-term status of PresidentBashar al-Assad is to be "decided by the Syrian people". This appears as a policy shift, since under PresidentBarack Obama’s administration, the US made the departure of Assad a key policy aim.[69] On March 30, 2017,United States Ambassador to the United NationsNikki Haley reaffirmed that the priority of the United States policy concerningBashar al-Assad is to no longer force him out of power.[70]
On April 7, 2017, US missilesdestroyedShayrat Air Base inHoms Governorate which the US military claimed to be the base for the aircraft that carried out theKhan Shaykhun chemical attack three days earlier.[71]
In April 2018, the US, alongside France and the UK, carried outmissile strikes against Assad's compounds in response to theDouma chemical attack.[72]
On June 17, 2020, reports claimed that the US imposed tough new economic sanctions under theCaesar Act, targeting anyone doing business with the Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad from anywhere in the world. The sanctions were imposed to compel the Syrian government to halt itshuman rights abuses on civilians and accept a peaceful political transition. For the first time, the US has targeted Bashar al-Assad's wife,Asma al-Assad, claiming that she is "one of Syria's most notorious war profiteers".[73]
On November 9, 2020, more sanctions were imposed on entities and individuals including parliament members who were supporting the al-Assad regime during the civil war.[74]
In March 2023, the US launched anairstrike against Syria in reaction to an Iraqi-made drone killing of a US contractor. The drone attack also injured US soldiers and another contractor. PresidentJoe Biden said that the US "will forcefully protect our people."[75]
In September 2023, the US captured an ISIS official after conducting a helicopter raid in northern Syria.[76]
As a result of theOctober 7 attacks and the resultingrise in regional tensions, there have been at least nine drone and rocket attacks on American personnel in Syria.[77]
Following aseries of rebel offensives that resulted in thefall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, and the establishment of acaretaker government the next day, the two countries began to work together on a number of important issues that included combating Islamic State remnants in the Syrian Desert and locating American citizens recently freed from Assadist prisons.[78][79]
On December 20, 2024, the United States removed the $10 million bounty onAhmed al-Sharaa after meetings were held inDamascus with senior diplomats and representatives fromHay'at Tahrir al-Sham in order to help with relations between the new Syrian government and the United States.[80][81] The meetings between United States officials and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham officials talked about the many missing U.S. citizens including the journalistAustin Tice. This meeting was the first meeting in over a decade in Syria between the United States and the Syrian government and the main goal, according to theUnited States Department of State, was to help shape the political landscape of Syria.[82] Furthermore, theCIAWorld Factbook was updated to listMohammad al-Bashir as prime minister of Syria.[83]
Relations were strained by the lack of a harsh American response to theIsraeli bombing campaign and incursions into Syria immediately after the establishment of the caretaker government.[84] Despite this, numerous American officials were in direct contact with the new regime.[85]
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On January 21, 2025, Syria's then-de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, extended congratulations to U.S. presidentDonald Trump onhis inauguration, expressing confidence in Trump's ability to "bring peace to the Middle East." al-Sharaa, who assumed leadership following theousting ofPresidentBashar al-Assad in December 2024, emphasized his administration's desire to improve relations between Syria and the United States through dialogue and understanding. He highlighted the immense suffering Syria has endured over the past decade due to conflict and expressed optimism that under Trump's leadership, stability could be restored to the region.[86]
On March 25, 2025, theTrump administration handed Syria a list of conditions in exchange for partial sanctions relief and its support for Syria's territorial integrity, which included Syria committing to destroying itsremaining chemical weapons, cooperating on counter-terrorism, barring foreign fighters from senior government roles, assisting U.S. efforts to findAustin Tice, and designating theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ofIran as a terrorist organization.[87][88]
On May 13, 2025, during his trip toSaudi Arabia, Trump announced that he was lifting all sanctions on Syria, stating that "they have endured enough disasters, wars, and killing" and that his administration was willing to normalize relations with Syria's new government.[89] According to Turkish foreign ministerHakan Fidan, the foreign ministers of Turkey, the United States, and Syria will convene to discuss the specifics of U.S. president Donald Trump's commitment to lifting sanctions against Syria.[90]
On May 14, 2025, al-Sharaa met with Trump in Saudi Arabia, marking the first meeting between American and Syrian heads of state sinceBill Clinton andHafez al-Assad convened in Geneva in 2000.[91]
On May 23, 2025, Trump appointed sitting U.S. Ambassador to TurkeyTom Barrack to also be the newUS Special Envoy to Syria.[92] On May 29, Barrack arrived at theAmerican embassy in Damascus, which has been closed since 2012, as the American flag was raised there for the first time since closing.[93] On June 18, 2025 it was reported that the US troops pulled out of two more bases inNortheastern Syria.[94]
On 30 June, President Trump signed an executive order lifting mostU.S. economic sanctions on Syria in hopes that it will help Syria recover from years of war and attract foreign investment; while sanctions on Assad and his allies will remain, restrictions on Syrian banks and other institutions are being lifted.[95]
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On September 22, 2025, Ahmed al-Sharaa made an important visit to the United States, going to New York to join the 80th meeting of the UN General Assembly. This is the first time since 1967 that a Syrian president has taken part in theUNGA, and the first official visit to the U.S. in almost 60 years. He traveled with four ministers, and it is regarded by many as an historic trip, showing Syria’s attempt to rebuild ties with Washington and move away from years of sanctions and isolation.[96][97]
On November 10, 2025, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House and held a closed-door meeting with US President Donald Trump, marking the first time any Syrian leader had visited Washington, D.C.[99] Speaking to reporters, Trump praised Sharaa as a "strong leader" and voiced confidence in him. "We’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful," he said.[100]
Promising "continued sanctions relief," the Treasury Department announced a new order to replace its May 23 waiver on enforcement of the 2019 Caesar Act, which imposed sweeping sanctions over human rights abuses under Assad.[100]
In addition to aligning with the Soviet Union and taking a fiercely anti-American position, he took an uncompromisingly hardline stance on Israel—especially after Egypt became the first Arab state to make peace with the Jewish state. To this end, Damascus began supporting militant Palestinian groups—a step that saw Syria become the first country to be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S state Department; a status it still retains... the Assad regime launched a brutal crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. This led to widespread international condemnation from the United States and the European Union, among others... In addition to support from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, the United States, and other key Western States recognized the opposition as the legitimate voice of the Syrian people.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)President Donald Trump and the king of Jordan have discussed with the possibility of establishing safe zones for refugees in Syria.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
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