The United States has formally removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, marking a major shift in Washington’s policy toward the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The decision, announced Monday by the Trump administration, is expected to provide Syria with significant sanctions relief and make it easier for Damascus to reconnect with the international financial system as it seeks to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war.
Washington is also removing al-Sharaa’s organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move reflects “positive actions and further commitments" by al-Sharaa’s government to distance Syria from international terrorism. Syria was first placed on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list in 1979. The only other countries currently designated are Cuba, Iran and North Korea.
“Rescinding Syria’s designation as an SST and HTS’ designation as an SDGT eliminates the final major barriers for private sector investment in Syria and promotes Syria’s economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy," Rubio said.
President Donald Trump marked the decision on Truth Social by posting a photograph of al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani holding the executive order signed by Trump that directed sanctions relief for Syria.
Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, described the decision as the beginning of a new chapter between Washington and Damascus.
“For too long, this designation was another wall separating the Syrian people from the investment, enterprise, and opportunity necessary to rebuild their nation. Today, another wall comes down," he wrote on social media.
“Capital can replace conflict, enterprise can replace isolation, and commerce can continue to triumph over chaos," added Barrack.
The latest step follows Trump's executive order of June 30 last year ending longstanding U.S. sanctions on the Syrian government while retaining measures against Bashar Al-Assad's ousted regime and other actors deemed destabilizing.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control subsequently revoked the US sanctions regulations targeting the Syrian government in August of that year.
Trump had first announced his intention to lift sanctions during a May 2025 visit to Riyadh, saying the move was intended to support al-Sharaa's government. During that visit, Trump met with the Syrian president and described him as a “tough guy" and a “fighter" with a “very strong past".