Syria is no longer designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the United States – a move that opens the door to American investment in the country, whose economy has been decimated by decades of conflict.
Trump made the announcement on 8 July after a meeting with Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey. The US created the list in 1979 under the Export Administration Act, with Syria the first country to be added on 29 December. The American administration of the time, under President Jimmy Carter, believed the Syrian government had supported international terrorist groups, with militant Palestinian operations working across the Middle East of particular concern. Despite his former life as a jihadist, since coming to power in January 2025 following decades of hardline rule by the Assad family, Sharraa has attempted to cast himself as the unifier of a deeply divided country. “From day one, when Ahmad al-Sharaa took Damascus, he talked about peace and reconciliation, reunifying the country,” Charles Lister, director of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute said in a Frontline documentary in 2025. “He talked about disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration. He used all of the phrases that you would read in a textbook about a political transition." Macron says Syria must not be destabilised after bombs wound 18 'A new chapter' "This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness," said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his announcement of Syria's removal from the blacklist. Rubio said that he had notified Congress of the move – which will go into effect in 45 days, unless lawmakers block it. “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. A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbours benefits not only the region, but the entire world," he added. Rubio also noted that the decision came after "formal assurances" by Sharaa that: "Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future."
