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The UN Security Council approved to an American proposal removing restrictions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his presidential meeting the coming week.

He became transitional president following his leadership in a revolutionary movement that drove out Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, concluding thirteen long years of internal conflict.

The US representative Mike Waltz at the United Nations said the UN had sent "an emphatic political statement" that recognised Syria was in "a new era" since Assad was deposed.

Sharaa was under United Nations restrictions as the leader of the Islamist group the HTS movement, once connected to the terrorist network. The US removed the organization from the catalog of international terrorist organizations during July.

More Penalties Removed

Furthermore, global sanctions were ended on restrictions targeting Syria's Interior Minister Minister Anas Khattab.

The nation's top diplomat applauded the lifting of these restrictions, declaring through digital channels: "Syria expresses its appreciation to the United States and supportive states for backing the Syrian nation and citizens."

Forthcoming Presidential Visit

President Sharaa's presidential meeting on Monday follows US President Donald Trump said the Syrian leader achieved "significant advancement" in establishing peace to the previously divided state.

The two leaders convened initially during May, during Trump's Riyadh trip on a tour of the region.

After that meeting, the US president described him as a "resilient figure" possessing a "powerful background".

The HTS organization he led operated as the terrorist network's partner within Syria until he severed ties during 2016.

Earlier American Trip

This week's diplomatic engagement does not represent the president's debut journey to America during this period. During September, he emerged as the initial Syrian president to speak before the UN General Assembly in Manhattan for nearly six decades.

In his speech, he stated the country had been "regaining its deserved status within the global community" and demonstrated unity with the people of Gaza.

• President Sharaa addresses UN General Assembly on historic occasion in almost 60 years
• Trump's meeting with the Syrian leader, once considered impossible, elevates national expectations