US moves to remove Syria from its state sponsors of terrorism list
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on July 8 that the United States will remove Syria’s designation as a “state sponsor of terrorism,” a label applied since 1979. President Trump endorsed the move. Rubio said the decision followed formal assurances from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that Syria “will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”
The delisting takes effect in 45 days unless Congress moves to block it. Its practical effect is financial: the designation triggers a broad set of trade, banking, and aid restrictions, and removing it clears the way for international investment and lending that had been largely blocked. Once the change is final, only Iran, North Korea, and Cuba will remain on the US list.
The step reflects Washington’s bet on al-Sharaa, who took power after the fall of the Assad government in 2024 and has sought to present himself as a national unifier. It also carries risk: al-Sharaa’s past ties to armed Islamist groups are the reason Syria long carried the designation, and the 45-day window gives skeptics in Congress room to try to reverse the decision.