UK removes sanctions on Syria's al-Sharaa, Khattab before Trump talks
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Britain has followed in the UNSC's footsteps and removed sanctions on key Syrian figures.
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Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa waves as he enters a polling station where electoral college members are voting in a parliamentary election in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, October 5, 2025. (AP)
The United Kingdom has lifted sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, following the United Nations Security Council’s decision to remove similar measures ahead of his expected meeting with US President Donald Trump next week.
A notice published Friday on the UK government’s sanctions registry confirmed that London has also removed sanctions on Syria’s Interior Minister Anas Khattab. Both al-Sharaa and Khattab had been subject to asset freezes and travel restrictions under measures originally imposed for alleged links to ISIS and al-Qaeda.
The UN Security Council on Thursday ended sanctions placed on al-Sharaa in 2014, when he was a senior figure in Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that emerged from factions previously affiliated with al-Qaeda.
The Security Council cited a lack of ongoing operational ties between HTS and al-Qaeda in its decision to end the restrictions, including an arms embargo.
UNSC lifts sanctions off al-Sharaa
The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution lifting international sanctions on Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent reporting from the UN headquarters.
The move signals a notable shift in the international approach toward Syria’s transitional authorities.
The resolution passed with 14 votes in favor, with the Russian Federation backing the decision. China abstained from the vote but did not oppose the resolution.
