US Removes Syria from Terrorism Sponsor List After 47 Years

Syria is set to be removed from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list, bringing to an end a designation that has remained in force for nearly 47 years.

A mandatory 45-day congressional review period expires on August 22 without any reported action to block the move. The remaining step is the formal publication of the rescission in the Federal Register by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

A Designation Dating to 1979

Washington placed Syria on the terrorism sponsor list on December 29, 1979, citing repeated support for acts of international terrorism under the government of Hafez al-Assad.

The designation survived the transfer of power to Bashar al-Assad and remained in place throughout the Syrian civil war.

Its removal follows the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024 and a broader U.S. effort to reset relations with Syria’s transitional authorities.

Congressional Clock Expires

President Donald Trump formally notified Congress on July 8 that his administration intended to rescind the designation.

Trump certified that the Syrian government had provided no support for acts of international terrorism during the preceding six months and had given assurances that it would not do so in the future.

That notification triggered the statutory 45-day review period. No blocking resolution has been reported before its expiry.

The final administrative action now rests with the State Department.

Washington Cites Counterterrorism Steps

The U.S. decision follows a series of measures taken by the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Those include assurances against supporting international terrorism, counterterrorism cooperation with Washington, and Syria’s entry into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November 2025.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, with which al-Sharaa was previously associated, was removed from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization list in July 2025.

The State Department described the July decision as part of a wider effort to reopen Syria to international economic activity.

“This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness. Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people,” it said.

Financial Restrictions Set to Ease

Removal from the terrorism sponsor list eliminates one of the main remaining legal and reputational barriers affecting dealings with Syria after earlier sanctions relief.

The change is expected to reduce restrictions and perceived risks for international banks, U.S. companies, and foreign investors.

It also creates a path for broader changes to U.S. export controls, including Syria’s removal from Country Group E and an increase in the de minimis threshold from 10 percent to 25 percent.

Further agency action will still be required to implement some export and arms-control changes.

Foreign Assistance and Sovereign Immunity

The rescission also ends restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance tied directly to Syria’s terrorism sponsor status, as well as related government contracting limits.

Syria would also regain sovereign immunity protections under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act once the terrorism-related exception no longer applies.

U.S. victims seeking claims linked to acts committed while Syria remained designated will retain a six-month filing window after the delisting.

Targeted Sanctions Remain

The removal does not eliminate all U.S. sanctions connected to Syria.

Measures targeting Assad-era figures, designated terrorists, human rights abusers, and Captagon-related networks remain in place.

Separate regulatory changes by the State Department and the Bureau of Industry and Security will also be required before the technical consequences of delisting are fully implemented.

Damascus Hails End of Isolation

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said the decision closed a chapter associated with the former government.

Following directives from al-Sharaa, he said, “We have closed a dark chapter (black page) in Syria’s history by lifting the designation imposed on it due to the policies of the deposed regime in 1979.”

He thanked Trump, Rubio, and U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack.

The move follows earlier U.S. sanctions relief and the removal of individual designations, including measures affecting al-Sharaa.

Trump also met al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8, where he handed the Syrian president a letter stating that Washington intended to remove barriers to reconstruction and that U.S. companies were prepared to invest.

Three Countries Remain

Once the rescission is formally completed, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba will remain on the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list.

Syria will become the first country removed from the list since Sudan in 2020.

For Damascus, the decision dismantles a designation that had shaped its relationship with Washington since 1979 and removes a significant obstacle to its attempted reintegration into international financial and investment channels.