Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday received a delegation of United States senators and members of the House of Representatives in Damascus, according to Syria’s state-run SANA news agency. Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani and Interior Minister Anas Khattab attended the meeting, which marks the second visit by American lawmakers to the Syrian capital this month. The US Embassy in Damascus said the lawmakers discussed economic issues, expanded security cooperation and the re-establishment of a permanent US diplomatic presence that was shuttered in 2012. Nicholas Granger, head of the State Department’s Syria Regional Platform, led the inter-agency team, which also held technical talks on financial-sector reforms and efforts to locate missing US citizens. The outreach follows President Donald Trump’s 30 June executive order that lifted a broad set of US sanctions imposed on Syria since 1979. While the move eased restrictions on trade and investment, the congressionally enacted Caesar Act—targeting entities linked to alleged war-crimes—remains in effect. Washington’s renewed engagement comes amid heightened uncertainty inside Syria, including sectarian clashes in the southern province of Suweida and stalled negotiations to integrate Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the national army. Both sides signalled that progress on economic cooperation could help stabilise the country, though no concrete agreements were announced.