US passes Syria sanctions bill, ties relief to reforms

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Syria Sanctions Accountability Act, aiming to maintain pressure on Damascus while allowing flexibility to support Syria’s transitional government.

“The goal is to give them the chance to succeed while ensuring accountability for any malign activities,” said US Congressman Mike Lawler, a member of the committee behind the bill.

According to the US Congress website, the legislation proposes maintaining and expanding targeted sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the former regime, human rights violations, narcotics production, and activities threatening Syria's stability or hindering transitional justice. It also calls on US financial agencies to review banking restrictions and push for enhanced economic monitoring at international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

The bill ties the lifting of remaining sanctions to measurable progress in several areas, including ending attacks on civilians, ensuring humanitarian access, releasing political prisoners, and halting the targeting of religious minorities.

“My bill provides the administration with the flexibility to ensure that our posture is in line with the current environment and provides Congress with the information we need to act,” Lawler added.

In May, US President Donald Trump, during a trip to the Middle East, announced his decision to effectively lift most broad, economy-wide sanctions on Syria. He also met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a summit in Riyadh hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Since taking office in January, following the toppling of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s new leadership has prioritized lifting international sanctions. Several countries, including members of the European Union, which officially lifted its sanctions in May, have expressed openness to removing Assad-era restrictions but have emphasized the need for inclusive governance and strong counterterrorism efforts.

In a recent interview with Reuters, US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack said he had urged Sharaa to embrace a more inclusive political approach in the wake of recent sectarian violence, warning that failing to do so could undermine international support and risk further fragmentation of the country.

A fresh wave of violence between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes has rocked the southern Druze-majority Suwayda province since July 13, leading to a regional crisis as Israel intervened in support of the Druze, striking several targets, including Syrian state forces and an airstrike on the defense ministry building in Damascus. Sharaa’s forces have been accused of siding with the Sunni tribes.

“We’re, of course, aware of those reports and we’re aware that some who might be affiliated but not directed by the Syrian Government may be a part of that [violence],” US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda during a press conference on Tuesday.

 

 

At least 1,265 people have been killed in the violence in Suwayda, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A Washington-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria was announced on Saturday by Barrack, with the truce seemingly holding. The Druze are in control of the province, while Syrian government forces are guarding the entrance to prevent Sunni fighters' entry in a bid to avoid further tensions.

In June, the Observatory reported that 7,670 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the first half of the year due to ongoing violence and widespread “security chaos.”

A fact-finding committee probing sectarian violence in Syria’s coastal Alawite-majority areas in March said on Tuesday that it identified nearly 300 suspects in connection with the events, which left more than 1,700 people dead, mostly from the Alawite community.

Investigations by the committee documented “serious violations against civilians,” including “murder, premeditated murder, looting, destruction and burning of homes, torture, and sectarian insults,” committee spokesperson Yasser al-Farhan said during a Damascus presser.

In March, violence erupted in Syria’s Alawite-majority coastal areas after armed groups, many loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad, launched attacks on forces allied with the government, prompting Damascus to respond with force.