Washington removes Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism after 47 years

The United States has officially removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, removing what it calls the last major obstacles to private investment and the country's reintegration into the global economy.

The decision, announced on Monday, August 25, 2026, ends a listing that had been in place since 1979. Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the removal by citing the Syrian government's "positive actions" to distance itself from acts of international terrorism. His counterpart at the Treasury, Scott Bessent, stated that this measure would "encourage additional investment in Syria to promote political and economic stability."

Syria had been on this list for forty-seven years. Its removal leaves only three countries on the list: Cuba, North Korea, and Iran. Inclusion results in financial sanctions, restrictions on U.S. foreign aid and on exports and sales of defense equipment, and can penalize states or companies that trade with the targeted country.

The Trump administration chose to embrace the new Syrian leadership embodied by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist militant for whose capture Washington had once placed a bounty. His group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the al-Nusra Front and affiliated with al-Qaeda until 2016, was also removed from the US list of global terrorist organizations. It was this same HTS that led the rebel offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 and that now dominates the transitional administration headed by Sharaa.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani hailed a "historic step" and promised to "continue working to erase the effects of isolation and create an environment based on transparency, mutual interests and respect," according to the official SANA news agency.

Washington hopes to anchor Syria in its orbit rather than in that of Russia or China. The risks, however, remain considerable: the country is far from secure, does not yet have a representative government, and is at the center of escalating tensions between Israel and Turkey. The measure was first announced in July before being formalized on Monday. Rubio stated that it would offer Syrians "a path to prosperity."