US and UAE consider sanctions relief to weaken Assad-Iran ties

Talks have intensified in light of the Dec. 20 expiration of sweeping US sanctions on Syria and Israel’s ongoing campaign targeting Iranian-backed networks in the region.

By THE MEDIA LINE STAFF DECEMBER 3, 2024 15:26

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Turkey's Halk TV in Damascus, in this handout photograph distributed by Syria's national news agency SANA on October 4, 2013. (photo credit: REUTERS/SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

The United States and the United Arab Emirates have been exploring ways to distance Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from Iran, including potential sanctions relief, five sources told Reuters.  

Talks have intensified in light of the Dec. 20 expiration of sweeping US sanctions on Syria and Israel’s ongoing campaign targeting Iranian-backed networks in the region. The discussions included the possibility of allowing the Caesar Act sanctions, which heavily restrict dealings with Syria, to lapse without renewal.  

According to an American source and multiple Syrian interlocutors, the UAE raised this option with Washington two months ago, framing it as a way to incentivize Assad to reduce ties with Iran and cut weapons routes to Hezbollah in Lebanon.  

A Syrian activist in Washington, Mohammad Alaa Ghanem, told Reuters his group has been advocating for the sanctions’ extension and believes bipartisan support exists for renewal. 

UAE reportedly offered financial aid

The UAE has also reportedly offered financial aid to help Syria rebuild its war-ravaged infrastructure, seeing this as a lever to pull Assad further from Tehran.

Smoke rises as a member of the rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen, Aleppo province, Syria November 29, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano)

A senior regional diplomatic source involved in the relevant conversations confirmed "behind-the-scenes efforts by some Arab countries to isolate Iran... by distancing Syria from Tehran." 

Iran has, in response, pressured Assad to maintain their alliance, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warning the Syrian leader to “not forget the past,” according to the senior diplomat.  

While Assad has largely stayed out of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned him last week against aiding Hezbollah, saying, “Assad must understand—he is playing with fire.”