The sanctions relief fulfils the Trump administration's pledges following the US leader's May meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh, during which he promised to lift or waive decades-old sanctions against Syria.
The UN Security Council voted Thursday to lift sanctions on Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and government members days before his historic White House visit, the first by a Syrian president to Washington since 1946.
The resolution dropping UN sanctions tied to al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab passed with 14 members in favour and China abstaining.
"The Council is sending a strong political signal that recognises Syria is in a new era since (ousted ruler Bashar) al-Assad and his associates were toppled in December 2024," US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said.
Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong said Beijing supports the Syrian people, but the Washington-led proposal inadequately addressed "the legitimate concerns of all parties" regarding counterterrorism and security in Syria.
US officials pushed to pass the mostly symbolic motion before Monday, when President Donald Trump hosts al-Sharaa in the first Syrian presidential visit to Washington since the country's independence.
The sanctions relief fulfils the Trump administration's pledges following the US leader's May meeting with al-Sharaa in Riyadh, during which he promised to lift or waive decades-old sanctions against Syria.
Syria's foreign ministry said the nearly unanimous vote "reflects the growing confidence in President al-Sharaa's leadership" and "represents a victory for Syrian diplomacy, which has succeeded in restoring international recognition of Syria's status and its pivotal role in the region."
Syria is expected to join the US-led anti-IS coalition during al-Sharaa's Washington visit, which involves some 80 countries working to prevent the Jihadist group's resurgence.
The effort forms part of Trump's strategy to rebuild Syria relations after the al-Assad family's 50-year rule ended in a lightning offensive led by al-Sharaa, also ending nearly 14 years of civil war.
Al-Sharaa has sought to restore ties with Arab countries and the West, where officials remained wary of his past al-Qaida connections. The US previously designated his former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as a terrorist organisation.
Other Syria sanctions remain, most stringently those imposed by Congress under the 2019 Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, requiring congressional votes for permanent removal.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's top Democrat and Republican welcomed Thursday's UN action in a bipartisan statement, saying Congress should act to "bring the Syrian economy into the 21st century."