August 26, 2026 | 01:17 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former British Ambassador to Syria Peter Ford told RIA Novosti that the United States' decision to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism was likely driven by the U.S. military-industrial complex's desire to sell weapons to Damascus, according to ANTARA.
Ford said removing Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism could clear the way for U.S. defense exports that were previously prohibited, making it likely an important consideration for Washington.
U.S. defense companies are already eagerly awaiting the opportunity, anticipating that Syria, like many other Arab countries, will begin buying large quantities of U.S.-made weapons, the diplomat added.
In addition, Ford believes that much of the funds that U.S. companies might invest in Syria's oil sector will be used to purchase weapons.
The former diplomat added that the U.S. appears focused on keeping Syria aligned with Israel, a goal that could be increasingly achievable given Damascus’s muted response to Israeli strikes on Syrian military sites, territorial expansion in the Golan Heights, and its stated interest in normalizing relations with Israel.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said Monday that the U.S. has removed Syria's designation as a 'State Sponsor of Terrorism.’
Read: Syria Sentences Assad-Era Grand Mufti to Life in Prison
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