The U.S. State Department officially removed Syria from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, and delisted al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, on Monday, completing a process President Donald Trump announced in July.
The change ends a 47-year tenure on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list for Syria that began under the dictatorship of Hafez Assad, the father of ousted dictator Bashar Assad. When Syria was placed on the list, in 1979, the United States explained the decision by noting the Assad dynasty’s links to jihadist terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, its close relationship with the Iranian terror state, and evidence linking the Hafez Assad government to terrorism in neighboring Lebanon.
The Trump administration noted in July that the dramatic changes in the halls of power in Damascus required the U.S. government to reconsider its positions towards the country, particularly sanctions imposed on a dictator no longer in charge of the country. President Trump has met the interim president of the country, former HTS chief Ahmed al-Sharaa, on multiple occasions, and spoken of him positively as a “strong” and “attractive” leader who he hopes to help rebuild Syria following over a decade of civil war.
During the civil war, Sharaa’s HTS, the former al-Qaeda group the Nusra Front, was one of over ten armed militias engaging in violence against rivals in the country. Sharaa fought under the jihadist nom de guerre “Abu Mohammed al-Jolani” and his forces were primarily dedicated to fighting the Syrian national military and Assad. In December 2024, after a surprisingly successful raid on the city of Aleppo, HTS stormed Damascus, prompting Assad to flee to Moscow and leaving the country in Sharaa’s hands. Despite Sharaa’s background as an al-Qaeda jihadist, he rapidly abandoned his war nickname, began wearing suits, and has enthusiastically courted Western foreign investment to help rebuild the country, hindered significantly by Assad-era U.S. sanctions on the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that Syria, as of that day, would no longer appear on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and HTS would also be removed as a SDGT. His statement praised Sharaa for his favorable disposition towards the West and his aid in combatting terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State. The removal leaves only Iran, North Korea, and Cuba on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and greatly expands the number of global financial institutions and businesses that Syria can engage with as a government.
“These actions were all taken in recognition of the positive actions taken and further commitments by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa to fully distance Syria from acts of international terrorism,” Rubio wrote. “In the past year, the Government of Syria has taken significant steps to counter terrorism, to include formally joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November and conducting operations to disrupt the terror networks of ISIS, al-Qa’ida, Hizballah, and Iran-aligned groups.”
“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 asserted.
Sharaa issued an official statement enthusiastically thanking President Trump for the measure and congratulating the Syrian people, crediting them with the sanctions removal.
“I congratulate the Syrian people on the official removal of Syria’s name from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and I thank His Excellency President Donald Trump for this historic decision, as well as all the brothers and friends who stood with Syria and the Syrians,” Sharaa said in a national address.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry separately celebrated the “significant shift in international relations” represented by the measure and noted that some minimal sanctions still remain on Syria, which it hoped to see removed.
“We hope that this step will be followed by lifting all restrictions that hinder Syria’s reconstruction and its return to its natural role in the Arab and international arenas,” Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani was quoted as saying.
In early July, President Trump suggested that he would remove Syria from the list, as Sharaa had given him no reason not to move beyond Assad-era policies.
“I think I will. Why wouldn’t I? He’s done a great job,” Trump said in response to a question about the state sponsors list. Trump congratulated Sharaa for making Syria “very stable” and said he was “proud” of the progress Syria had made under Sharaa’s governing.
“Syria had one of the great cultures — the professors and lawyers and doctors — it had one of the great cultures of any country, not just the Middle East,” Trump said at the time, “and then it went through this terrible period of time … They’re proud of the job he’s done.”
Rubio announced shortly thereafter that the State Department had begun the process of removing Syria from the state sponsors list.
“In accordance with the law, Congress will now conduct a review lasting 45 days to complete this decision and make it final. I promised to remove all obstacles preventing the rebuilding of your country, and very soon you will finally be able to do so,” he said in a statement at the time.