Bruce said Rubio told his Syrian counterpart that he welcomes "the Syrian government's calls for peace with Israel, efforts to end Iran's influence in Syria, commitment to ascertaining the fate of U.S. citizens missing or killed in Syria, and elimination of all chemical weapons."

President Donald Trump said the US would explore normalizing relations with Syria after the toppling of longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad, adding to a pledge to lift sanctions against the country’s new government.