Why Syria Plays A Key Role In Trump’s Plans For Middle East Peace

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed an executive bid lifting astir U.S. sanctions connected Syria, successful a move experts opportunity reflects increasing nickname wrong nan management that Syria, agelong a battleground for Iranian power and Islamist terror, whitethorn now connection nan U.S. a uncommon opportunity to reclaim location leverage, antagonistic enemies, and support friends for illustration Israel and Jordan.

At a White House property briefing Monday, property caput Karoline Leavitt told reporters, "This is different committedness made and committedness kept by this president," she said, referring to Trump’s caller gathering pinch Syria’s caller transitional leader Ahmed al-Sharaa during a travel to Saudi Arabia. "He’s committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and astatine bid pinch itself and its neighbors."

"The sanctions did their job," David Schenker, erstwhile adjunct caput of authorities for Near Eastern Affairs and now a elder chap astatine nan Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital. "They were crippling by and large. There’s zero economical life successful nan country. But Trump is giving Syria a chance to succeed."

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER LIFTING SANCTIONS ON SYRIA

President Donald Trump meets pinch members of nan Juventus shot nine successful nan Oval Office of nan White House, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Javed Ali, erstwhile elder charismatic astatine nan National Security Council and professor astatine nan University of Michigan, told Fox News Digital, "It’s a strategical calculation. A Syria that nary longer hosts Iranian proxies, cooperates connected counterterrorism, and integrates pinch Arab neighbors serves U.S. interests connected each front."

According to Schenker, Syria has taken steps nan U.S. has agelong demanded: allowing inspections by nan IAEA and nan Organization for nan Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, sharing intelligence connected ISIS, and cooperating pinch American liaison officers connected counterterrorism. "These groups person declared al-Sharaa an infidel. They themselves are being attacked by ISIS," he noted.

President Donald Trump meets pinch Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, successful this photograph released connected May 14, 2025. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via Reuters)

For nan U.S., nan stakes widen acold beyond sanctions relief. Schenker said a unchangeable Syria focused connected acquisition and societal services, alternatively than subject buildup, would beryllium acold little fertile crushed for ISIS aliases Iranian influence.

Ali described nan existent infinitesimal arsenic portion of a broader Trump strategy: "Now pinch Assad gone, it’s different rustle to nan Islamic Republic of Iran. This creates an opportunity to coalesce nan Sunni Arab states – either astir nan Abraham Accords aliases a increasing anti-Iran coalition."

The U.S. subject still maintains a mini but captious footprint successful Syria – astir 1,000 troops crossed 3 to 4 bases successful nan northeast – providing captious intelligence and accelerated onslaught capability. "That footprint has been 1 of our astir important counterterrorism outposts," Ali said. "We’ve seen aggregate targeted operations this twelvemonth alone."

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei greets Syrian President Bashar Assad successful Tehran, Iran, connected Feb. 25, 2019. (Office of nan Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)

TRUMP ASKS SYRIA TO JOIN ABRAHAM ACCORDS, NORMALIZE TIES WITH ISRAEL IN RETURN FOR SANCTIONS RELIEF

He said, however, that deeper U.S.-Syrian practice could bring caller complications. "There’s ever a consequence that arsenic ties deepen, either nan U.S. could trim its beingness – aliases al-Sharaa mightiness inquire america to standard back," Ali said. "That could effect our expertise to show jihadist activity aliases negociate nan tens of thousands of ISIS detainees still successful camps guarded by SDF forces."

Meanwhile, nan negotiated implications of Trump’s move are drafting world attention. Syria’s caller activity has publically distanced itself from Iran, reportedly blocked Hezbollah limb shipments, and dismantled multiple Iranian military posts crossed nan country.

"The president is genuinely focused connected expanding nan Abraham Accords," said Schenker. "He sees Syria arsenic nan adjacent imaginable candidate."

NSC spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. "President Trump is moving towards lasting bid successful nan Middle East, which includes supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and astatine bid pinch itself and its neighbors. The President is empowering Syria’s occurrence by lifting sanctions connected export controls while maintaining sanctions connected terrorists and each different imaginable threats to nan United States. The President made a committedness to springiness Syria a chance to rebuild and thrive by lifting sanctions, and this President keeps his promises."

A masked Islamic State violent holds nan ISIS emblem successful 2015. (Pictures from History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Still, normalization pinch Israel remains politically fraught. Syria remains officially astatine warfare pinch nan Jewish state, and while Sharaa has hinted astatine accepting nan pre-1974 ceasefire lines, jihadist factions and Islamist groups wrong Syria stay staunchly opposed. "There person already been reported assassination attempts connected Sharaa," Schenker said. "It’s going to get harder if he moves from non-belligerency to afloat normalization."

Charles Lister, head of nan Syria programme astatine nan Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital, "Syria has ever been an unfastened coiled successful nan halfway of nan region – an motor of instability… But if it stabilizes now, it unlocks a way for broader location integration. It connects Israel and Jordan to a much unafraid arc and reduces nan request for dense U.S. subject involvement."

Syrians stitchery astatine Umayyad Square to observe nan illness of 61 years of Baath Party norm successful Damascus connected Dec. 9, 2024. (Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Despite encouraging signs connected nan negotiated way – specified arsenic reported back-channel talks and reduced rhetoric – Israeli airstrikes connected Syrian territory person continued, pinch hundreds launched this twelvemonth alone. Syria’s caller activity has not responded militarily, but tensions stay high.

"The facts connected nan crushed don’t yet bespeak nan advancement being made down closed doors," Lister said. "We conscionable person to dream that those 2 dynamics meet successful nan middle, and things calm down connected nan crushed arsenic well."