U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) and Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani shaking hands on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Feb. 13, 2026 in Munich. (Credit: Alex Brandon / AFP)
BEIRUT — Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani spoke Tuesday with his U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio, about the next steps toward lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria and strengthening cooperation between Damascus and Washington, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported.
Their conversation also covered "regional security, economic growth, integration of the various components of Syrian society and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," the agency said.
According to the Syrian statement, Shaibani welcomed steps taken by Washington toward lifting sanctions imposed on Syria under the Caesar Act, which took effect in 2020 and has been gradually repealed since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. He also stressed the need to “continue coordination to complete the necessary technical and operational procedures” so that the measures have “concrete and tangible effects” on Syria’s economic and banking sectors.
Damascus is particularly seeking to finalize measures to ease sanctions on the banking sector, facilitating international financial transactions and paving the way for foreign investment to return and help revive an economy devastated by more than 14 years of civil war.
A recent increase in fuel prices in Syria has also sparked an unprecedented wave of social discontent since the new Syrian authorities, led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, came to power.
For its part, the U.S. State Department said Rubio and Shaibani discussed “regional security and strengthening bilateral cooperation” in a brief statement issued Tuesday. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the secretary of state stressed “the importance of continuing to integrate all components of Syrian society” and praised “Syria’s progress in its cooperation with the IAEA.”
US trade delegation in Damascus
The discussion of IAEA cooperation comes after years of dispute between Damascus and the U.N. agency over the Deir Ezzor site in eastern Syria and other related facilities. In 2011, the IAEA Board of Governors found that Syria’s undeclared construction of a facility at Deir Ezzor, along with its failure to provide certain information, constituted a breach of its nuclear safeguards obligations.
The issue remained deadlocked for several years before cooperation resumed. According to IAEA reports, Damascus has since allowed inspectors to visit three sites identified as being linked to Deir Ezzor and collect environmental samples there.
The call between Shaibani and Rubio also comes amid growing economic rapprochement between the two countries, with a U.S. trade delegation currently visiting Damascus. According to SANA, the delegation includes representatives from about 50 companies and more than 80 participants exploring investment and reconstruction opportunities in energy, transport, telecommunications, industry and finance.