President Donald Trump Tuesday announced plans to drop American sanctions against Syria that have been in place since 1979, saying the financial lifeline could help the new government stabilize the country after 14 years of civil war. Trump made his unexpected announcement after arriving in Saudi Arabia for a four-day visit to the region.

The president is set to meet the leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE before traveling to Doha, Qatar, for the second leg of his trip.

Trump said on Tuesday that he would order the lifting of all sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, in a major U.S. policy shift that took some in his ow