The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution to remove Syria’s transitional President, Ahmed al-Sharaa and the country’s Home Minister Anas Hasan Khattab from its sanctions list.

All fifteen members of the council voted on the US-sponsored resolution on Thursday, while China abstained, saying that the draft was advanced to serve Washington’s own interests.

The move came just days before al-Sharaa’s scheduled meeting with former US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

"Now is Syria's chance at greatness," said the representative of the United States, whose delegation had sponsored Resolution 2729 in the Security Council.

China, explaining its decision to abstain, said that despite several rounds of consultations in which Beijing raised valid concerns about terrorism, including the presence of foreign fighters in Syria, the US had moved the resolution forward to pursue its own goals.

"Syria is in a precarious state" where many foreign terrorist fighters, including members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, continue to threaten its security and stability, said China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong. He urged Syria’s new government to earn the trust of the global community.

Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Council decided that the Syrian President and Home Minister would no longer face asset freezes or travel bans that were previously imposed under counterterrorism measures.

In its statement, the Security Council confirmed the removal of both officials from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and the Al-Qaida sanctions list. The Council also reaffirmed its "strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of the Syrian Arab Republic."

US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, said the resolution sends a "clear political signal" that recognises Syria’s "new era." He added that the new government is fulfilling its commitments to counterterrorism, and the decision would give Syrians a chance at a stable and prosperous future.

The UN had first sanctioned al-Sharaa in May 2014, while the US introduced restrictions in 1979 and later expanded them after Syria’s civil war began in 2011. These sanctions targeted trade, investment and energy exports. In May this year, Washington lifted most of its sanctions on Syria.

Al-Sharaa, who led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham coalition during the December 2024 offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime, became Syria’s de facto leader afterwards. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was once al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria until al-Sharaa severed ties with the group in 2016.

In September, al-Sharaa became the first Syrian leader in nearly 60 years to address the UN General Assembly in New York.

The United Kingdom’s representative at the UN welcomed Syria’s progress in advancing political transition and tackling terrorism and chemical weapons. Representatives of Russia and France also highlighted the need to support Syria’s economic recovery alongside political reforms.

Syria’s representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, praised the adoption of the resolution and said it reflected "the historic and courageous decision of President Trump to support Syria."

"We consider [this resolution] a sign of a growing confidence in the new Syria, its people and its leadership," he said, calling it a "badge of honour."

He added that Syria is turning the page on years of war and suffering, and is now building a modern state based on the rule of law. "Damascus continues to extend its hand to all countries of the world," he said, expressing a vision of Syria as a meeting point between East and West, as reported by UN News.

Meanwhile, President al-Sharaa attended the summit of heads of state and government at the 30th session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, on Thursday.