Syria is no longer on America’s state sponsor of terrorism list. The designation, which has been in place since 1979, has been rescinded by President Trump, marking one of the most consequential US foreign policy shifts in the Middle East in decades.
To put that timeline in perspective: Syria was labeled a state sponsor of terrorism the same year Sony released the Walkman. It has outlasted nine presidential administrations, the Cold War, and the entire arc of the Assad dynasty. Now, under a new Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Washington has decided the label no longer fits.
What actually changed, and when
This didn’t happen overnight. The groundwork was laid when the Assad regime fell in December 2024, triggering a reassessment of the entire US sanctions architecture around Syria.
On June 30, 2025, Executive Order 14312 revoked six prior executive orders that formed the backbone of the Syria sanctions program. Those terminations took effect on July 1, 2025, effectively dismantling the broad economic restrictions that had frozen Syria out of mainstream international finance for years.
