Trump makes another BIG move in Middle East, to host Syria’s Al-Sharaa in ‘historic’ White House visit; trouble for Iran due to…

In another significant move which could have significant ramifications on power dynamics in the Middle East, US President Donald is poised to host Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, aka Abu Mohammad al-Julani, at the White House later this month. Al-Sharaa’s upcoming visit will mark the first by a Syrian President to Washington in more than 80 years.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani made the announcement during a speech in Bahrain on Sunday, stating that Ahmed al-Sharaa’s ‘historic’ White House visit would mark the opening of a “new chapter” in US-Syria relations, Al Jazeera reported.

“President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be at the White House at the start of November,” al-Shaibani said. “Of course, this is a historic visit. It is the first visit by a Syrian president to the White House in more than 80 years,” al-Shaibani  was quoted as saying.

Why Trump is meeting Al-Sharaa?

According to al-Shaibani, the agenda for the talks would include “the lifting of sanctions and opening of a new chapter between the United States and Syria,” adding that Damascus seeks “to establish a very strong partnership between the two countries.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s Syria envoy Tom Barrack said al-Sharaa is expected to sign an agreement during his visit to join an international US-led alliance against the ISIL (ISIS) terrorist group, Al Jazeera reported, citing Axios.

Notably, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) when the group ouster from President Bashar al-Assad from power in December last year, met Doland Trump in Saudi Arabia in May this year, marking the first encounter between the leaders of the two nations in nearly 25 years.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of Trump’s talks with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders and was described as a significant development for a Syria emerging from over five decades of Assad family rule, according to Al Jazeera.

Who is Ahmed al-Sharaa?

Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, the leader of controversial Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power late last year, became the interim head of the the country’s interim government after Assad’s fall.

However, al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, remains a mysterious figure with different sources making contradicting claims about his origins, even his real name.

While many believe that al-Sharaa is a Syrian from the Golan, who was born in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria and reportedly studied medicine before joining an Islamist extremist outfit, other sources trace his origin to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, where his father used to work. However, Ahmed al-Sharaa is said to have grown up in Syrian capital Damascus.

According to the UN and European Union,  Ahmed al-Sharaa was born between 1975 and 1979. Interpol believes he was born in 1979, whereas a report by As-Safir mentions his birth date as 1981. Nonetheless, while, al-Julani’s origins remain shrouded in mystery, one thing is clear, he was of the masterminds behind rebel insurgency that resulted in the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in late 2024.

Why Al-Sharaa carried a $10 million US bounty?

Notably, Ahmed al-Sharaa-led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was formerly an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, but Al-Sharaa reportedly broke away from the global terror group about a decade ago, and later clashes with the ISIL (Islamic State) outfit.

Ahmed al-Sharaa previously carried $10 million US bounty on his head and was imprisoned by American forces during the Iraq conflict, but Washington has revoked sanctions against him after he took power from Assad.

After assuming power, Al-Sharaa has claimed he’s working to rebuild Syria’s ties with world powers that had distanced themselves during Assad’s rule, and in September, addressed he United Nations General Assembly in New York, signalling his efforts to bring Damascus back into global diplomatic circles.

Trump’s peace efforts in Middle East

The Syrian leader’s planned visit comes amid Doland Trump’s effort to foster peace in the Middle East, and his call to US’ allies in the region to work towards a lasting solution to that end, the first step of which involved the ceasefire and captives exchange between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending Israel’s two-year war in Gaza.

Additionally, Syria and Israel are also holding talks to reach an agreement that could halt Israeli air strikes on Syrian territory and lead to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Syria, according to Al Jazeera.