On 22 April 2026, the Syria (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (the “Syria Amendment Regulations”) came into force, amending the Syria (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (the “Syria Sanctions”) to remove trade restrictions relating to luxury goods, gold, precious metals and diamonds. What have the Syria Amendment Regulations changed? The Syria Amendment Regulations have amended UK Syria Sanctions to remove the definitions of “gold, precious metals or diamonds” and “luxury goods” in their entirety.…
On February 18, 2026, the Government of Canada announced amendments to the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations (“the Regulations”). These amendments lift broad economic prohibitions linked to the former Assad regime that had been in place since May 2011, easing restrictions on trade, investment, and the provision of financial and other services, including telecommunications monitoring and petroleum‑related transactions. The amendments also remove 24 entities and one individual from Schedule I of the Regulations to reduce…
On November 10, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury, US Department of State, and US Department of Commerce issued a Tri-Seal Advisory (see here) summarizing the current scope of US sanctions and export controls relief measures applicable to Syria. The document serves as a consolidated reference point for the actions taken so far to relax US sanctions and export controls for Syria, including those aimed at facilitating humanitarian assistance and early recovery efforts. The…
On August 26, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published a final rule removing the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR Part 542) from the Code of Federal Regulations (“OFAC Final Rule”). This action follows the issuance of Executive Order (“EO”) 14312 on June 30, 2025, which terminated the national emergency declared in EO 13338 and revoked multiple Syria-related sanctions authorities. Our blog post on the issuance of EO…