“The EU renewed sanctions on people and entities linked to Bashar al-Assad's former government for another year, until 1 June 2027.”

Council of the EUOfficial recordMay 18, 2026Read the original

The Council's annual review of Syria-related sanctions.

Our verdict

True

On 18 May 2026 the Council extended the Assad-linked sanctions to 1 June 2027 and delisted seven entities.

What we found

The delistings include Syria's defence and interior ministries, to support engagement with the new government. The claim is accurate.

The evidence

2 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.

Contradict 0Support 2Background 0

Supports the claim
The Council renewed the sanctions on the former al-Assad regime until 1 June 2027. [1]
Supports the claim
The EU extended sanctions on the former Assad regime for one year. [2]

How we checked

We checked the claim against Council of the EU, The New Arab. We reviewed 2 relevant sources.

Sources

[1]Council of the EU · Syria timeline
[2]The New Arab · EU extends sanctions on former Assad regime for one year

Have evidence we missed?

If you know of a source that confirms or contradicts this claim, send us the link. We review every submission and update fact checks when new evidence changes the picture.

Measured Take updates fact checks when new evidence emerges. Corrections are noted on the page.

All fact checks