US President Donald Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday in a historic encounter that marked the first visit by a Syrian head of state to Washington. The meeting underscored a dramatic geopolitical shift for Syria and capped a remarkable transformation for Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander once sanctioned as a terrorist by the United States who is now being courted as a potential partner in regional stability.
The visit represented a stunning turn in Syria’s political landscape. Less than a year after toppling longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad, Sharaa has embarked on a diplomatic tour aimed at rebranding himself as a pragmatic leader intent on unifying his war-ravaged country and ending decades of isolation. His meeting with Trump follows months of back-channel negotiations and growing engagement between Washington and Damascus.
Sharaa’s main objective in Washington was the full removal of US sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act, which has crippled Syria’s economy since 2019. While Trump stopped short of lifting the measures entirely, the US Treasury announced a 180-day extension of its sanctions waiver, a move widely interpreted as a goodwill gesture. Only Congress, however, can repeal the law.
In a restrained display, Sharaa arrived at the White House without the usual ceremonial welcome afforded to foreign dignitaries. The former militant, who once had a $10 million bounty on his head, entered through a side entrance away from television cameras. Trump praised him as a “strong leader” and said the US would “do everything we can to make Syria successful,” while briefly acknowledging his controversial past by adding, “We’ve all had rough pasts.”
The meeting focused on Syria’s reconstruction, counterterrorism cooperation, and the prospect of a security agreement with Israel — a deal that would have been unthinkable under Assad. Sources said Washington is considering a limited military presence at a Damascus airbase as part of a broader stabilisation effort. Syria recently joined the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, signalling an unprecedented alignment after years of enmity.
Hours before Sharaa’s arrival, Syrian intelligence reported foiling two separate Islamic State plots to assassinate him. The incidents underscored the ongoing instability within Syria, where government forces have been battling ISIS remnants and rival factions since Assad’s ouster.
Sharaa’s trip also reignited debate in Washington. Some lawmakers criticised Trump for prioritising talks with former adversaries over domestic issues, but the president defended his outreach, saying, “We could have a world on fire where wars come to our shores very easily.”
For Sharaa, the visit was another step in legitimising his leadership on the world stage. His appeal to Congress for a repeal of the Caesar sanctions, he argued, was essential to attracting global investment for reconstruction. The World Bank estimates Syria’s postwar rebuilding costs at over $200 billion. Several influential members of Congress, including some Republicans, have signalled support for easing restrictions if Syria continues distancing itself from Iran and extremist networks.
The country, however, remains fragile. Renewed sectarian clashes since Assad’s fall have killed more than 2,500 people, raising doubts about the new administration’s ability to govern inclusively. Nonetheless, Trump’s engagement with Sharaa comes as the US seeks to maintain a ceasefire in Gaza and advance regional peace talks involving Israel, Lebanon, and Egypt.
Sharaa’s personal transformation mirrors Syria’s evolving geopolitical identity. Once known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani, he fought with al-Qaeda in Iraq during the 2000s and was later imprisoned by US forces before returning to Syria to lead an insurgency against Assad. Washington designated him a terrorist in 2013, but by 2016, he had broken with al-Qaeda, repositioning himself as a nationalist insurgent. His rise to power last December — followed by swift diplomatic normalisation — marks one of the most rapid rehabilitations of a rebel leader in recent history.
The United States removed its bounty on Sharaa in December, and just last week, the United Nations Security Council lifted remaining sanctions on him and his interior minister. His Washington visit, therefore, symbolised not just a diplomatic thaw but also a profound reordering of alliances in the Middle East — one in which a former enemy now sits across the table as a potential partner in rebuilding a fractured Syria.
