President Donald Trump made significant changes to his Middle East policy on the 13th (local time).
The Trump administration, on this day, lifted all sanctions on Syria that had been in place for over a decade and expressed willingness to negotiate with its rival Iran.
This declaration is a signal that the Trump administration is overturning the paradigm of its Middle East policy that it had maintained until now. The Washington Post (WP) evaluated that this has "redefined U.S. foreign policy, indicating that an enemy does not need to be an enemy forever."
President Trump stated during a speech at an investment forum held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, "I am lifting the sanctions to give Syria a chance to be great" and added, "The sky will be their limit."
Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime collapsed in December 2024 and rebel leader Ahmed Al-Shara assumed the presidency. Following this, lifting economic sanctions was essential for Syria’s economic reconstruction.
President Al-Shara is a figure who returned to a moderate line after severing ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. He is scheduled to have an official meeting with President Trump on the 15th.
CNN reported that this signifies the end of years of Washington's policy towards Syria.
It is reported that the lifting of sanctions on Syria was directly requested by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
After the announcement of the lifting of sanctions on Syria, President Trump said, "Look at what I am doing for the Crown Prince" while showcasing their close relationship.
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia has been tightening economic cooperation ties with the U.S. recently. Saudi Arabia announced an investment plan worth $600 billion (about 820 trillion won) in line with Trump's visit. During this trip to the Middle East, President Trump plans to engage in economic and trade-focused diplomacy with other major oil-producing countries in the region, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Al Jazeera reported that "Trump is seeking large-scale economic negotiations during his visit to the Gulf region."
The policy towards Iran was also dramatically revised. Historically, the U.S. has based its policy towards Iran on principles of stabilizing oil supply, ensuring Israeli security, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and combating terrorism.
Since experiencing the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, options for military intervention in the Persian Gulf region were considered. Following this, the Gulf War and the Iraq War were fought, further deteriorating relations with Iran.
During the Obama administration, a dialogue phase was opened briefly with the conclusion of the Iran nuclear agreement (JCPOA). However, after the Trump administration unilaterally terminated the JCPOA and enforced a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, a hardline approach was adopted again.
On this day, President Trump maintained his previous stance of "I will never allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons" but also added, "I am willing to forge a new partnership, even if the past conflicts are ended and the differences are profound."
The Trump administration is reported to be discussing sanctions relief in exchange for restricting Iran's nuclear program.
Experts interpreted that President Trump intends to build an image as a "peace mediator" to American voters who feel fatigue over the wars in the Middle East.
At the same time, it was evaluated as a multi-purpose strategy aimed at countering the growing influence of Russia and China in the region. There is also analysis that the intention is to reduce Russian influence in Syria and improve relations with Iran to prevent China’s entry into the Middle East.
On the other hand, this major policy shift is expected to have a significant impact on Israel, a longtime ally of the U.S. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently demanded a hardline response towards Iran and Syria.
However, with Israel being absent from President Trump's Middle East visit schedule, signs of a rift between the leaders of the two countries are also detected.
Al Jazeera assessed that "these measures have the potential to fundamentally change the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East."