US starts process to remove Syria from terrorism list
The move would ease a major barrier to investment as Washington backs President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s post-Assad government.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The United States has begun the process of removing Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a change that could lower legal and financial barriers for companies considering work in the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision reflects Washington’s support for President Ahmed al-Sharaa as Syria seeks outside help to rebuild after years of war.
Rubio said in a State Department statement Wednesday that the move was “yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness.” The rescission is due to take effect in 45 days unless US lawmakers block it.
The announcement came as President Donald Trump met al-Sharaa during a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye. Al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader, has tried to present himself as a national unifier since the al-Assad family was toppled in 2024 after ruling Syria for about half a century.
Rubio said ending the designation would help open Syria to foreign trade and investment and support reconstruction. He also said the step followed “formal assurances” from al-Sharaa that Syria would not back acts of international terrorism.
Trump praised al-Sharaa during their meeting, saying he was doing “an unbelievable job in unifying Syria.” The US president also said Syria had been “a mess” under the previous government.
Sanctions shift follows Trump outreach
The terrorism designation had remained a major obstacle even after Trump initially lifted some sanctions on Syria. Al Jazeera and AFP reported that businesses still faced legal risk in the United States because Syria remained on the terrorism list.
Syria has been seeking economic support after a war that devastated the country, helped fuel the rise of ISIL, also known as ISIS, and drove a major refugee crisis. Washington’s move marks a further endorsement of al-Sharaa’s government despite concerns from Israel, which has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Syria.
Trump had earlier urged Syria to make peace with Israel, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The delisting process is moving ahead despite no reported breakthrough on that issue.
Once Syria is removed, Iran, North Korea and Cuba will be the remaining countries on the US state sponsors of terrorism list. The United States first placed Syria on the list in 1979.
Long-running designation
Under Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, Syria hosted Palestinian armed groups, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Damascus was also accused of involvement in incidents including a 1986 attempted bombing of an Israeli El Al flight.
In more recent years, the US designation centered largely on the Assad government’s ties to Iran and its support for Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia armed movement. Trump last month suggested that Syria under al-Sharaa could replace Israel in a campaign to weaken Hezbollah, Al Jazeera and AFP reported.
Al-Sharaa rejected the idea of Syrian military intervention in Lebanon. Syria had occupied Lebanon for decades under the Assad family’s rule.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.