When US President Donald Trump announced in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that he would lift all sanctions on Syria, the decision – which will boost a country devastated by 13 years of war – took many in the region by surprise.
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It also caught some in his own administration off guard.
In Washington, senior officials at the US State Department and Treasury Department scrambled to understand how to cancel the sanctions, many of which have been in place for decades, according to four American officials familiar with the matter.
The White House had issued no memorandum or directive to State or Treasury sanctions officials to prepare for the unwinding and did not alert them that the president’s announcement was imminent, one senior US official told Reuters.
The sudden removal of the sanctions appeared to be a classic Trump move – a sudden decision, a dramatic announcement and a shock not just for allies but also some of the very officials who implement the policy change.
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After the announcement, officials were confused about exactly how the administration would unwind the layers of sanctions, which ones were being eased and when the White House wanted to begin the process.