US Removes Syria from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

The United States has removed Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, the US State Department announced.

„I have approved the formal rescission of Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST), following the completion of the mandatory 45-day congressional notification period,“ stated US Secretary of State Mark Rubio in a statement last night.

He added that the armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has also been removed from the list of global terrorist groups.

„All these actions have been taken in recognition of the positive steps undertaken and the continued commitment of the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Shara for Syria to fully distance itself from international terrorism,“ Rubio said.

The US Secretary of State added that the Syrian government last year took significant steps in the fight against terrorism, including formally joining the Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and conducting operations to „dismantle terrorist networks of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and groups linked to Iran.“

„The removal of Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and the designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as a global terrorist group eliminates the last major obstacles to private investment in Syria and promotes Syria’s economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy,“ Rubio stated.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury separately announced that sanctions against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have been lifted. 

Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara welcomed the decision.

„I congratulate the people of Syria on the official removal of Syria’s name from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and I thank His Excellency US President Donald Trump for this historic decision, as well as all brothers and friends who stood by Syria and the Syrian people,“ al-Shara wrote on the social network X.

The US placed Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 1979, when Washington accused the government of former President Hafez al-Assad of supporting armed groups. 

Syria remained on the list during the rule of his son, former President Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown by rebels led by al-Shara in December 2024, after a civil war that lasted 13 years.