President Donald Trump will host Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, a meeting U.S. officials describe as a test of whether Damascus can reenter diplomacy after years of war and isolation.
A senior administration official said discussions will center on counterterrorism cooperation, economic development, and efforts to bolster regional peace and security.
The visit marks a sharp turn in the U.S.–Syria file after more than a decade of hostility. According to the official, Syria will announce its entry into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, becoming the coalition’s 90th member and committing to work with the United States on eliminating ISIS remnants and halting foreign fighter flows.
The administration is casting the move as a practical framework for joint action that goes beyond symbolism.
What the White House plans to unveil
The administration says it will pair the meeting with steps intended to reopen formal channels. Treasury, State, and Commerce plan to roll out measures to lift economic restrictions in key areas and provide compliance guidance to investors.
The United States will also allow Syria to resume operations at its Embassy in Washington to facilitate counterterrorism, security, and economic coordination.
A headline element is a 180-day suspension of the Caesar Act, the principal U.S. sanctions statute targeting commercial ties with Damascus.
The official said the White House will urge Congress to permanently repeal the law, arguing that removal is essential to unlock growth and allow U.S. firms and regional partners to operate in Syria. The administration frames these steps as conditional, saying they are meant to incentivize cooperation against ISIS and to create incentives for stabilization.
UN moves and a fast-moving diplomatic track
The visit follows rapid policy shifts abroad. On Thursday, the UN Security Council voted 14-0, with China abstaining, to remove sanctions on al-Sharaa and Syria’s interior minister. Reporting has noted that both men had previously faced financial sanctions under terrorism authorities.
The UN action, combined with Washington’s planned measures, signals a coordinated push to test whether Damascus will engage on counterterrorism and reconstruction under new terms.
The timing comes roughly six weeks after al-Sharaa addressed the UN General Assembly, the first speech by a Syrian head of state there in decades. In those remarks, he pressed for sanctions relief and international backing to rebuild the country. U.S. officials now say the White House intends to meet that appeal with calibrated openings tied to measurable progress.
Advocates press minority protections and humanitarian access
Lawmakers and faith leaders are moving in parallel. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., who visited Damascus this summer, called the meeting a chance to end years of bloodshed and said he pushed Syrian officials on missing Americans and on expanding regional normalization tracks.
In a letter to Trump, about 100 Christian leaders urged the president to raise the protection of minorities, citing threats to Christians, Druze, Kurds, and Alawites and requesting a secure humanitarian corridor from Hader to Suwayda to enable aid delivery and evacuations.
Syrian-American activists say many inside the country back outreach if it delivers security and jobs. Hicham Alnchawati of Syria Freedom Path said Syrians “are looking for a better future,” adding that stability will require dismantling the influence of Iran and Hezbollah.
Those themes are likely to surface at the White House, where officials have linked sanctions relief to concrete steps against ISIS and to reducing malign influence that could reignite conflict.
