Oh Sharaa, Who Legitimized You?

By: Ayman Okeil

On July 24, 2013, under paragraphs two and three of UN Security Council Resolution 2083, a person named Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who is currently Mr. Ahmad al-Sharaa (the head of the new Syrian administration), was placed on the sanctions list due to his connection with al-Qaeda and other individuals, groups, institutions, or entities affiliated with al-Qaeda.

Today, Mr. Ahmad al-Sharaa, famously known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, has become a focus of interest for the United States. The world’s foremost military and economic power is racing to grant the man international legitimacy by removing him from the UN sanctions list.

Indeed, it is astonishing how circumstances can change. Al-Julani, who has now become “legitimate,” delivered a speech at the high-level segment of the 80th session of the General Assembly on September 24, 2025, after consolidating his power in January 2025 and declaring himself the transitional president of the new Syrian administration. He shed his camouflage uniform and military boots for a suit and tie, abandoned his nom de guerre, and made promises to protect minorities and address the issue of foreign fighters. Most importantly, he delivered a moderate speech regarding the Israeli occupation authority, only softly calling for its withdrawal from occupied territories like Mount Hermon and parts of Al-Quneitra. He also gave an unusual interview to American businessman Jonathan Bass in the Israeli newspaper Jewish Journal.

Perhaps this soft tone and the fealty pledges offered by al-Sharaa are what encouraged the United States to welcome him. Trump praised him, stating that he is a “young, attractive guy, tough guy, strong past.” Not only did he praise him, but he also entrusted the U.S. administration in October 2025 with presenting a draft resolution to remove the names of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and his Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the UN sanctions list, alongside exempting the Syrian government from the arms supply ban and technical and financial support.

The draft resolution submitted by the United States has the approval of three permanent member states: France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, in addition to the United States, while the U.S. is trying to persuade China to finally agree to the resolution after it initially showed tentative support.

Sanctions will likely be lifted in the closed session of the council scheduled for October 22, 2025. This would indicate that major powers can grant legitimacy even to someone with a terrorist background, like al-Julani, who trained under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq and then moved to Syria to establish Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda at the time, which later transformed into Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. This process strips legitimacy from others who may be working for their people’s benefit, making the answer clear to those who ask, “Oh Sharaa, who legitimized you?”