WASHINGTON

The US Treasury Department said Thursday it is looking forward to implementing the "necessary authorizations" to bring new investment to Syria, following President Donald Trump's announcement on lifting sanctions on the war-torn country.

"Treasury is working with our colleagues at the State Department and National Security Council to execute the president’s direction on Syria sanctions,” it wrote on X.

“We look forward to implementing the necessary authorizations that would be critical to bringing new investment into Syria. Treasury's actions can help rebuild Syria's economy, financial sector, and infrastructure and could put the country on a path to a bright, prosperous, and stable future,” it added.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the agency is “moving to provide sanctions relief to stabilize and move Syria towards peace.”

Trump said Tuesday at the 2025 Saudi-US Investment Forum in the capital of Riyadh that he would order the removal of “brutal and crippling” US sanctions on Syria to give that country “a chance at greatness.”

He said he made the decision after his discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump held his first-ever meeting with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, with bin Salman in attendance and Erdogan participating via phone.

The American president described the meeting as "great" and called al-Sharaa a "tough guy" with a "strong past."

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, 2024, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.​​​​​​​

Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in late January.