US removes Syria's designation as State Sponsor of Terrorism
- On Monday, the State Department officially removed Syria from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and revoked the terrorist designation of the Nusrah Front, also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, fulfilling President Trump's commitment to the post-Assad government.
- President Trump met Ahmed al-Sharaa in Ankara in July and notified Congress of his intent to rescind the designation, triggering a 45-day review period; the terrorism listing had remained a major deterrent for banks and investors despite comprehensive sanctions ending in July 2025.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action fosters additional investment in Syria, while American financial institutions can now provide services to Syrian banks provided sanctioned parties are not involved; Mastercard and Bank of America have already begun preparing payment infrastructure.
- Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani told Reuters on Saturday that the government hoped removing what he called the 'last obstacle' would help reconnect Syria to the global financial system; "There is no longer any obstacle to investment, doing business and rebuilding economic life in Syria," he said.
- Negotiations between Damascus and Washington included Syrian commitments to drastically reduce Russian oil imports according to sources familiar with the talks, while the United States continues to designate Cuba, Iran, and North Korea as the three countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism.
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The United States withdrew Syria from its list of countries sponsoring terrorism on Monday, eliminating what Damascus considers to be the last major obstacle to investment in the country, at a time when Washington deepens ties with the new Syrian government. Read also: The US threatens to impose sanctions on other countries in plan to isolate the economy of Yemen's Iran Houthis say they attacked a ship near Saudi Arabia's city The withdrawal, pu…
The thaw between the two traditional enemies comes after Al Shara visited Trump last year.
Cuba, Iran and North Korea remain on the list.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, explained that this decision had been taken after receiving "formal guarantees" from Ahmed Al-Charaa, a former jihadist who became President of Syria, according to which "Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future".
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