Middle East and Africa
Secretary of State Marco Rubio notified Congress of the long-expected move, which will be effective in 45 days unless lawmakers take the unlikely step of blocking it.
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency shows interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaking in Damascus on March 29, 2025. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the formation of a new government late on March 29, reaffirming his commitment to “building a strong and stable state.“ Day to day affairs in Syria have been administered by a ministerial team since president Bashar al-Assad was ousted by Islamist rebels on December 8. (AFP/Syrian Presidency)
The United States said Wednesday it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.Secretary of State Marco Rubio notified Congress of the long-expected move, which will be effective in 45 days unless lawmakers take the unlikely step of blocking it.
The step came as President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkey with Sharaa, a former jihadist who has sought to recast himself as a unifying figure after the 2024 toppling of the Assad family, which ruled with an iron fist for a half century.
