Middle East
US presents conditions to HTS for potential sanctions relief

According to six sources speaking to Reuters, the US has presented Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized power in Syria, with a list of conditions to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief. These conditions reportedly include ensuring foreigners do not hold senior management roles.
Two individuals, an American official and a Syrian source knowledgeable about the matter, told the news agency that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Levant and Syria Natasha Franceschi conveyed the list of demands during a face-to-face meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani. The meeting took place at the Syria donors conference in Brussels on March 18.
The sources indicated that the conditions put forward by the US include Syria “destroying its remaining chemical weapons stockpiles” and “cooperating in the fight against terrorism.”
Additionally, American officials and one source in Washington stated that another demand involves ensuring foreign militants are not appointed to senior government positions within Syria’s administrative structure. Criticism had previously arisen over Syria’s appointment of thousands of foreign militants—including Uyghurs, Jordanians, Chechens, and individuals of other nationalities—to the defense ministry.
According to two sources, Washington also requested that Syria appoint a liaison officer to assist in efforts to locate US journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria more than a decade ago.
The source also indicated that the US wants Syria to issue a statement supporting its own territorial integrity.
Washington reportedly did not provide a specific timeline for the fulfillment of these conditions.
While the HTS administration has not commented on the matter, the US State Department stated, “We do not discuss our private diplomatic conversations publicly.”
Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned last week that Washington is monitoring the actions of the interim administrators.