Morning update

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, President Donald Trump's administration has formally removed Syria from the State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) blacklist, a landmark move that unlocks export restrictions and allows for the US to supply military aid to the country. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa applauded the move, thanking Trump for the historic decision.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new wave of sanctions against Iran and its enablers, in an effort to "asphyxiate" the regime amid the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that Trump's administration was not ruling out using further military force against Iran, while unveiling an "economic D-Day" of new sanctions against Tehran.

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.