Damascus, July 8 (SANA)Syria-U.S. relations have shifted repeatedly over the past eight decades, from cautious diplomacy and periods of cooperation to political tensions, diplomatic rupture and sweeping sanctions, before entering a new phase after the fall of the ousted regime in late 2024.

The change accelerated with a series of meetings between President Ahmad al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump, paving the way for the lifting of sanctions and a new agenda focused on dialogue, stability, reconstruction and economic recovery.

Diplomatic relations were established in 1945, but differences over regional issues, particularly the Palestinian cause, and Cold War rivalries quickly strained ties. Relations were severed in 1957 before resuming in 1961.Following the Baath Party’s rise to power in 1963 and Israel’s occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967, relations deteriorated further.

A limited thaw followed the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. President Richard Nixon visited Damascus in 1974, becoming the first U.S. president to do so, while dialogue continued through the 1990s as Washington sponsored Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. Syria also joined the U.S.-led coalition that liberated Kuwait in 1991.From dialogue to sanctions

Relations deteriorated after Bashar al-Assad assumed power in 2000, particularly following the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

U.S. sanctions had begun in 1979 when Syria was designated a state sponsor of terrorism. They expanded under the Syria Accountability Act of 2003 and widened dramatically after the Syrian revolution in 2011 to target Syria’s oil sector, financial system and state institutions, while diplomatic relations were effectively frozen.

The broadest sanctions came with the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, passed in 2019 and taking effect in 2020 after widespread documentation of killings and torture of Syrian detainees by the ousted regime.

The law imposed secondary sanctions on foreign entities supporting the ousted regime and targeted key sectors including energy, construction and finance. Additional U.S. legislation in 2022 and 2024 targeted Captagon trafficking networks linked to the ousted regime.

The fall of the deposed regime on Dec. 8, 2024, marked a turning point in bilateral relations. Syria’s new leadership prioritized restoring ties with Washington and securing the lifting of sanctions to support economic recovery and reconstruction.

A breakthrough came in May 2025 when President al-Sharaa met President Trump in Riyadh in the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marking the first direct meeting between the leaders of the two countries in decades.

The following month, Trump announced the end of the U.S. sanctions program against Syria while maintaining restrictions on individuals linked to the ousted regime’s war crimes, terrorism and narcotics trafficking.

The two presidents met again during the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September before holding a third round of talks at the White House in November during President al-Sharaa’s official visit to Washington—the first by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946. The talks focused on expanding political, economic and security cooperation.

Attention is now focused on an expected meeting between President Trump and President al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.

The anticipated talks reflect one of the most significant shifts in Syria-U.S. relations, marking the transition from decades of sanctions and diplomatic estrangement to a new phase of dialogue, strategic cooperation and economic partnership.F.J./ABD