Syria President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Donald Trump in the White House, Washington, D.C., November 10, 2025

Video: Syria President Sharaa’s 1st Interview with US Television

Syria’s President Sharaa Addresses UN General Assembly

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House on Monday, as the US announced a six-month waiver on most sanctions against Damascus.

Monday’s meeting was the first between a US President and Syrian leader at the White House since 1946. It came 11 months after rebel forces, led by al-Sharaa’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, toppled the Assad regime which had held power since 1970.

As the leader of HTS, which broke from Al Qa’eda in 2016, Sharaa had a US $10 million bounty on his head for “terrorism”. On Monday, he waved to supporters outside the White House and was warmly greeted by Donald Trump.

Trump told reporters:

He’s a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place. Tough guy. I like him. I get along with the President, the new President in Syria, and we’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that’s part of the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a 180-day suspension of some sanctions under the 2019 “Caesar Act”, imposed on the Assad regime over its mass killing, torture, and detention of civilians. Targeting Syria’s energy industry, the Act now limits foreign investors from signing contracts for Syria’s reconstructions. Monday’s exemptions.

While lifting those restrictions, the US will continue to sanction “certain transactions involving the governments of Russia and Iran, or the transfer of provisions of Russian-origin or Iranian-origin goods, technology, software, funds, financing or services”.

The Trump Administration is also seeking Syria’s involvement in a US-led coalition against the Islamic State, whose cells continue to operate inside the country.

Sharaa said the sides had come to a “political” agreement. Over the weekend, Syrian officials said 71 ISIS members were captured in 62 targeted raids across the country.

Sharaa also sat down for an interview with Trump-supporting Fox TV: