Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani began a historic visit to the United States on September 18, marking a pivotal moment for the post-Assad nation. The primary objective of the talks is to secure the complete lifting of sanctions imposed under the U.S. “Caesar Act,” which has crippled Syria’s economy. However, Washington has made it clear that any further sanctions relief for Damascus’s transitional government is contingent upon a significant security agreement with neighboring Israel.
This trip represents the first official visit to Washington by a Syrian foreign minister in a quarter of a century. The last such high-level diplomatic engagement occurred in December 1999, when then-Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa met with President Bill Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to discuss a comprehensive peace treaty. Those negotiations ultimately collapsed over the contentious issue of the Golan Heights, a territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.
The focus of the current negotiations is the “Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act,” a U.S. law enacted in 2020 that blocks virtually all economic interaction with Syria. Although designed to pressure the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown on December 8, 2024, the sanctions were automatically inherited by the new transitional government. While a presidential decree in June provided partial relief, only the U.S. Congress can fully repeal the act, tying the fate of Syria’s economy to a complex political process in Washington.
According to U.S. lawmakers involved in the talks, the complete removal of sanctions is linked to several key conditions. Beyond the security pact with Israel, the transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to provide security guarantees for Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities. Washington also insists that Damascus formally join the U.S.-led international coalition to combat the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
Preliminary discussions on the security deal have already taken place. Prior to his arrival in the U.S., al-Shaibani met in the United Kingdom with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. Speaking to reporters in Damascus, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa downplayed the scope of the talks, stating, “The issue of establishing peace and normalization with Israel is not on the agenda right now.” He added, “But if we succeed in agreeing on security measures, perhaps we can reach other agreements in the future,” while maintaining that Washington is not exerting undue pressure on the process.
Under the proposed security arrangement, Israel is pushing for a wide demilitarized zone in southern Syria, which would be divided into sectors with varying levels of Syrian military presence. The deployment of regular army divisions and heavy military equipment would be prohibited near the Israeli border. Furthermore, Israel demands that the area southwest of Damascus become a no-fly zone for Syrian forces. Critically, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is not considering a withdrawal from the Golan Heights and is insistent on retaining control of the strategic Mount Hermon summit.
In return, the Damascus government is demanding the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from all territories they have occupied since the fall of the Assad regime. Syria also advocates for the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers in a mutually agreed-upon buffer zone. The high-stakes diplomacy is set to continue as transitional leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to arrive in the U.S. soon to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, a move his foreign ministry states will confirm the government’s seriousness “in restoring international relations on a new basis.”