Lifting sanctions on Syria and open appeal to Iran: signals of radical reassessment of US course – Rezazade

During his visit to Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on the Syrian government and expressed readiness for direct negotiations with Iran. 

This was reported by the first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, Ali Reza Rezazade, noting that such a position is a “fundamental revision” of US foreign policy in the Middle East.

“This is no longer just flexibility. This is an attempt to re-play the diplomatic chessboard of the region, in which traditional US allies and enemies cease to be fixed concepts,” Rezazade emphasized.

Trump’s speech at the investment forum in Riyadh, which began the first major foreign tour of his second presidential term, was full of symbolism and paradoxes. The president said he opposed U.S. military intervention in the region, but did not rule out the use of force to protect allies. He emphasized that “some of America’s best friends are countries we’ve fought wars with in the past.”

In his address, Trump mentioned his willingness to make a “deal with Iran” if Tehran’s nuclear program was limited. He emphasized that he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, but at the same time extended an “olive branch” as a symbol of his willingness to compromise.

The announcement of the lifting of sanctions against Syria was particularly resonant, a decision that Trump said he made at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Oh, how much I do for the prince!” the president joked as he signed investment agreements between the United States and the Gulf states.

Rezazade emphasized that such a policy can have both positive and risky consequences: “On the one hand, the US is demonstrating openness to new formats of cooperation, on the other hand, the question arises whether these “new partners” are ready to share the values of stability, democracy and security.”

The lifting of sanctions on Syria, imposed during the regime of Bashar al-Assad, could significantly change the balance of power in the region. Although the new Syrian leadership has formally renounced ties with Al-Qaeda, Western experts have not yet given a final assessment of its intentions.

“It seems that Trump is choosing an approach of exchanges and benefits — changing principles to economic agreements. But in the Middle East, behind every diplomatic gesture there is a strategic price,” Ali Reza Rezazade concluded.