Trump stresses importance of peace deals ahead of Middle East visit

President Donald Trump begins a weeklong trip to the Middle East on Monday. Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, though his most pressing regional challenges concern two other countries: Israel and Iran. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks are leaping in early trading after China and the United States announced a 90-day truce in their trade war.

Trump says he's weighing the removal of sanctions from Syria
“We may want to take them off of Syria, because we want to give them a fresh start,” said Trump, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged him to do so.

The comments were striking change in tone from the president on Syria sanctions and the government of . Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa took power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led an offensive that toppled former President Bashar Assad in December.

The Trump administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, and HTS remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad also remain in place.

Hawks in the White House and the Republican Party have been skeptical of al-Sharaa’s transformation and insist Syria remains a counterterrorism issue.

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