**Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Arrives in U.S. for Historic Visit**
*By OAN Staff | Blake Wolf | 11:13 AM, Sunday, November 9, 2025*
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday for his first official visit, marking the first time a Syrian president has visited Washington, D.C. since Syria’s independence in 1946.
Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), overthrew former Syrian President Bashar Assad last December after 13 years of civil war. Formerly associated with al-Qaida, Sharaa has worked to moderate his image in an attempt to normalize relations with the international community. This shift prompted the Trump administration to remove Sharaa and HTS from the foreign terrorist organization blacklist.
President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Sharaa on Monday. The two leaders are likely to discuss the remaining ISIS members in Syria, as the Trump administration seeks to stabilize the new Syrian regime and the broader Middle East region.
Just prior to Sharaa’s arrival in the United States, Syrian authorities revealed that 71 suspected ISIS terrorists were arrested, along with weapons and explosives.
Sharaa is also expected to push for the removal of remaining sanctions imposed on Syria due to human rights abuses under the Assad regime.
President Trump explained that he previously removed certain sanctions on Syria “to give them a fighting shot, and I think [Sharaa’s] doing a very good job so far.”
“It’s a tough neighborhood and he’s a tough guy, but I got along with him very well, and a lot of progress has been made with Syria,” Trump added.
Under Sharaa’s new regime, the Syrian government has been cooperating with the United States to find missing Americans and to eliminate any remaining chemical weapons linked to the Assad regime.
“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” stated U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.
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https://www.oann.com/newsroom/syrian-president-ahmed-al-sharaa-arrives-in-washington-for-landmark-trump-meeting/