U.S. Moves to Remove Syria From Its List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

The Trump administration said Wednesday that it will remove Syria from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation the country has carried since 1979. Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally notified Congress, and the removal takes effect in 45 days unless lawmakers block it, a step AFP called unlikely, in a report carried by Al-Monitor.

The announcement came as President Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump called Sharaa “fantastic” and “highly respected,” and said he had “done a really fantastic job” and had “unified the country” quickly, according to Middle East Eye. Trump said Syria “has become very stable,” the outlet reported, and he asked Rubio in front of reporters whether there were any problems with taking Syria off the list.

Rubio called the move “yet another historic step” by Trump and said lifting the designation will “unlock international trade and investment,” AFP reported. The label has long restricted investment in Syria and created legal risks for businesses, particularly American firms. Middle East Eye described removal as the next key step for Sharaa’s government, which sees it as its top priority.

The decision follows a year of policy shifts. Middle East Eye reported that Trump announced the lifting of economic sanctions on Syria about 14 months before the meeting, a move it said Saudi Arabia largely orchestrated; AFP put it at a year ago. Sharaa was first introduced to Trump in Riyadh and was in the Oval Office by November, the outlet reported. He has a past as a U.S.-designated terrorist and once had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, Middle East Eye noted.

Gulf nations have provided much of the funding to rebuild Syria, according to Middle East Eye, and Trump said Syria “has become very stable.” Israel, which has repeatedly carried out airstrikes in Syria, has expressed misgivings, AFP reported. The agency also said Trump had publicly urged Syria to make peace with Israel but went ahead with delisting despite no tangible progress on that front.

Lebanon was also discussed. Trump suggested last month that Syria could help disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon; asked again, he said, “They could help. We’ll find out,” Middle East Eye reported. Middle East Eye said Sharaa had previously indicated that was not a feasible option. A senior Lebanese official told the outlet that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani’s visit to Lebanon last week, where he met parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a close Hezbollah ally, was coordinated with Beirut to reassure it about possible U.S.-backed military action.

The question now moves to Congress, which has 45 days to act, and to Damascus, where officials hope delisting will open the way for the investment the country needs.