Syria has carried one of Washington’s most consequential foreign policy labels for 47 years. On July 8, 2026, President Donald Trump formally notified Congress of his intent to strip that label away, initiating the process to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, a status the country has held since December 29, 1979.
The notification triggers a mandatory 45-day congressional review period, giving legislators the chance to weigh in before the change takes effect.
What changed, and why now
Syria has a different government. Bashar al-Assad, whose regime defined decades of US sanctions and diplomatic isolation, was ousted in 2024. The country is now governed by a transitional administration under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has been actively cooperating with US counterterrorism efforts since taking power.
By mid-2026, bipartisan congressional support had coalesced around removing Syria from the SST list, with a group of key senators sending a letter to the State Department encouraging the move.
