Syria has welcomed the move by the Trump administration to ease sanctions, calling it a “positive step” to ease humanitarian and economic suffering in the war-torn country.

Washington has granted Syria broad exemptions from sweeping economic sanctions in a step towards fulfilling US President Donald Trump’s promise to help the country get a “fresh start” after more than 14 years of civil war.

The sanctions were designed to put pressure on the Assad regime, but they also severely affected the general population by cutting it off from most of global trade.