Biden narrows and updates Syria sanctions order after changed conditions on the ground

President Joe Biden signed a January 15, 2025 executive order amending Executive Order 13894, the Syria-related sanctions order created in 2019. The order removed language tied to Turkey's 2019 military offensive in northeast Syria and narrowed parts of the targeting language while preserving sanctions authority for people who threaten Syria's peace, security, stability, or territorial integrity, or who commit serious human rights abuse. Biden said the edits reflected changed circumstances on the ground in Syria. The action mattered because it adjusted the legal basis for Syria sanctions without ending the national emergency or the sanctions program.