US Keeps Syria Sanctions on Hold

Washington announced the decision in a tri-seal advisory issued jointly by the Treasury Department and the Departments of State and Commerce. The document listed the restrictions lifted from Syria and provided guidelines for companies seeking to do business with the Middle Eastern state.

According to the advisory, Secretary of State Marco Rubio extended the May waiver suspending sanctions under the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act for another six months.

The law imposed wide-ranging restrictions on individuals, companies, and institutions linked to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and effectively barred any foreign companies from engaging in the nation’s reconstruction under threat of secondary sanctions.

Under the waiver, companies are allowed to transfer most basic civilian goods of US origin, as well as software and technology, to or within Syria without a license. Permission from Washington is still needed, however, to trade in items listed on the Commerce Control List, the document said.

The waiver does not cover “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 advisory said.

The measures were part of Trump’s commitment to give Syria “a chance at greatness,” the document stated.