U.S. Removes Syria From Its List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

The United States on Monday removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, ending a designation that had stood since 1979, the Treasury Department’s sanctions office and the Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters, reported. The step came after a 45-day congressional review that began when President Trump notified Congress on July 8. Cuba, Iran and North Korea remain on the list.

The State Department also revoked the terrorism designation of the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, according to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). OFAC removed the group from its sanctions list and revoked a general license that had covered transactions involving its role in the Syrian government. It also issued an updated advisory with the Commerce and State departments on Syria sanctions and export-control relief.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry said the congressional review ended Saturday, but its adviser on U.S. affairs, Jihad Makdissi, cautioned then that the end of the review “did not automatically remove Syria’s designation” and that a formal decision by the secretary of state and publication in the Federal Register were still needed, Anadolu Agency reported. He said removal could ease designation-linked restrictions and send a positive signal to financial institutions, companies and governments, but that other restrictions on Syria are governed by separate legal processes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the actions recognized “positive actions taken and further commitments by the Syrian government” under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Jerusalem Post reported. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani called the removal the “last obstacle” to Syria’s economic reconnection and said, “There is no longer any obstacle to investment, doing business and rebuilding economic life in Syria.” Washington has praised Damascus for its cooperation against Islamic State.

Trump met al-Sharaa in Ankara on July 8 on the sidelines of a NATO summit, Anadolu reported, citing the Syrian Arab News Agency, and gave him a letter saying Congress had been notified. The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters, said Trump wrote that he had promised to “remove all barriers” to Syria’s rebuilding.

The designation had restricted foreign aid, defense exports, dual-use items and financial transactions, and it deterred banks and investors, the Post reported. The United States ended comprehensive Syria sanctions in July 2025 but kept targeted sanctions on Assad associates, rights abusers, drug traffickers and certain militant groups. Treasury has said U.S. banks can serve Syria and process payments with Syrian banks as long as sanctioned parties are not involved.

Economic contacts have already begun. Syria’s finance minister, Mohammad Yisr Barnieh, held talks with Bank of America executives, who expressed willingness to visit Syria, and Mastercard said in May that it was working with QNB Group and Syria’s central bank on infrastructure for international card payments, according to the Post. Reuters reported, citing three sources, that Damascus agreed to sharply reduce Russian oil imports during talks with Washington.

Some sanctions remain. Reuters reported that targeted measures on Assad associates, rights abusers, drug traffickers and certain militant groups stay in place, the Post said.