US removes Syria from terrorism sponsor list after 47 years

The Trump administration has removed Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, ending a 47-year designation that carried financial sanctions, restrictions on US foreign aid and defense exports, and penalties on entities trading with the sanctioned state. Per the BBC, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move was in recognition of the Syrian government's positive actions to fully distance itself from acts of international terrorism. The delisting also removes Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group that dominates Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's transitional administration, from the US list of global terrorist organizations.

Syria's path to delisting reflects a broader US shift toward engagement with the new Syrian government. The US previously removed Sharaa from its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists and revoked HTS's Foreign Terrorist Organization designation last year. HTS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, was al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until Sharaa severed ties with the jihadist network in 2016, per BBC reporting. In late 2024, HTS led the rebel offensive that overthrew former president Bashar al-Assad.

Rubio said the action would give Syrians "a path to prosperity" and lift what the US called the "final major barriers" for private sector investment in the country and its reintegration into the global economy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the action would help foster additional investment to promote political and economic stability. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani greeted the news as a "historic step", according to state-run news agency SANA.

The delisting shrinks the US terrorism sponsor roster to three countries: Cuba, North Korea, and Iran. The US hopes to bring Syria into its orbit rather than that of Russia or China, per the BBC.

Significant risks persist. The BBC notes that Syria remains far from secure and lacks representative government, and sits at the center of growing tensions between its neighbors Israel and Turkey. The stability of Sharaa's transitional administration and the durability of HTS's renunciation of terrorism remain untested.