US removes Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list
The US has removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism after 47 years, opening the door to foreign investment and the country's reintegration into the global economy. The move reflects the Trump administration's deepening engagement with Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Washington has taken Syria off its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation the country had held since 1979. Rubio said the decision reflects positive steps taken by the Syrian government to distance itself from international terrorism.
At the same time, the US removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of designated global terrorist organizations. HTS is led by Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former militant who once had an American bounty on his head as leader of an al-Qaeda offshoot. The group, formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, was al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate until Sharaa cut ties with the network in 2016. In late 2024, HTS led the rebel offensive that toppled former president Bashar al-Assad, and it now dominates Sharaa's transitional government.
Washington hopes the move will draw Syria closer to its orbit rather than that of Russia or China, though significant risks remain: the country still lacks security and representative government, and sits at the center of rising tensions between neighboring Israel and Turkey.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the decision would help attract further investment and support political and economic stability in Syria. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani called the announcement a "historic step," according to state news agency SANA, pledging to keep working to undo the effects of isolation.
Last year, the US had already revoked HTS's designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and removed Sharaa from its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. With Syria's removal, the list of state sponsors of terrorism — which carries financial sanctions and restrictions on US aid and defense exports — now includes just three countries: Cuba, North Korea and Iran.
