The United States on Monday formally removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move Secretary of State Marco Rubio said eliminates the final major barriers to investment and economic recovery in the country.

Rubio said in astatementthat he had authorized the formal rescission after a mandatory 45-day congressional notification period ended.

President Donald Trumphad initiated the countdown in July after confirming to Congress that Syria’s government had ceased supporting acts of international terrorism.

\"I have also delisted Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT),\" Rubio said Monday.

FORMER ASSAD-ERA PRISON CHIEF CONVICTED OF TORTURE IN US FEDERAL COURT, MARKING A HISTORIC FIRST

The actions, he said, represent \"another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a path to prosperity.\"

Rubio said Washington had taken unprecedented steps over the past year to provide sanctions relief to the Syrian people.

He pointed to Trump’s June 2025 executive order, \"Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions,\" which accelerated sanctions relief by terminating the Syria Sanctions Program and the national emergency with respect to Syria while directing reviews of other Syria-related sanctions and terrorist designations.

\"These actions were all taken in recognition of the positive actions taken and further commitments by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa to fully distance Syria from acts of international terrorism,\" Rubio said of the Syrian government.

Al-Sharaa ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 in an offensive led by HTS rebels. Syria had been on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list since 1979, with the designation in force throughout al-Assad’s rule.

BRIEF ALCOHOL BAN IN DAMASCUS SPARKS CONCERNS ABOUT PRESIDENT AL-SHARAA'S VISION FOR SYRIA

\"In the past year, the Government of Syria has taken significant steps to counterterrorism, to include formally joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November and conducting operations to disrupt the terror networks of ISIS, al-Qa’ida, Hizballah, and Iran-aligned groups,\" Rubio said.

He added that rescinding Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and HTS’ designation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist \"eliminates the final major barriers for private-sector investment in Syria and promotes Syria’s economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy.\"

EVANGELICAL LEADER SAYS US MUST PROTECT SYRIAN CHRISTIANS FROM ATTACKS BY JIHADI TERRORISTS

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani toldReuterson Aug. 22 that lifting the designation would help restore Syria’s links to the global financial system and encourage investment following nearly 14 years of war.

\"There is no longer any obstacle to investment, doing business and rebuilding economic life in Syria,\" he said.

\"Today’s action will help foster additional investment in Syria to promote political and economic stability,\" Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said in a statement, adding that it is \"in line with President Trump’s promise to deliver sanctions relief to Syria.\"

The governor of the Central Bank of Syria said Monday that lifting Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism is a \"historic step that returns it to its natural place within the global economic system.\"

On Monday, Trump also posted a photo on Truth Social of al-Sharaa and al-Shibani holding his signed June 2025 executive order directing sanctions relief for Syria.

Cuba, Iran and North Korea remain the three countries designated by Washington as state sponsors of terrorism.

",{"_274":233,"_275":312,"_276":313},"f06663cc-face-4f5a-b020-cfe650b25262",{"_27":312,"_40":314,"_279":315,"_42":316,"_245":317,"_282":317,"_29":283,"_284":318,"_286":319,"_238":39,"_80":-5,"_82":118,"_232":320,"_274":233,"_309":333},"US Removes Syria From List of State Sponsors of Terrorism","The United States has removed Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, lifting restrictions on investment as the nation rejoins the global economy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the rescission following a pre-notification period to Congress. This action is intended to support Syria's economic revitalization and advance U.S. national security interests in the Middle East.","The Trump administration notified Congress of its plan to remove Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on July 8.","https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2026/07/09/id6059609-GettyImages-2284641607-vs-1080x720.jpg","2026-08-24T22:46:53","https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/us-removes-syria-from-list-of-state-sponsors-of-terrorism-6079005",{"_27":321,"_290":322,"_134":292,"_80":323,"_304":330,"_305":331,"_307":332},"66046fafd2dbe9aca64c5016e06c1edf325b2e67bab4479c7c80860df3999055","ebdf20a03edccaf6a026e35800d6345e950ec7556e3622da69915891ced115eeb27ba0ff5760d60e9ae69d6f7a2e916a85dbc8c91dc878a9b1b712d9781a9bb8",[324,325,326,328,329],[238,314],[44,317],[297,327,39,299],"30023:2067dd3b71916d27d45003b249fe850fa1cc7090499cde6a51f4b4a82951da06:f06663cc-face-4f5a-b020-cfe650b25262",[301,39],[137,330,39],"2067dd3b71916d27d45003b249fe850fa1cc7090499cde6a51f4b4a82951da06","US Removes Syria From List of State Sponsors of Terrorism\nThe Trump administration notified Congress of its plan to remove Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on July 8.\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqgr8m5ahrytdyl29qqajf8lg2rape3cfqjvume49ra954q54rksxqqjxvvpkxcmrxcmr94nxzcm9956xvdtp943rqv3s943kvefkx5cxyv34xgmry5mlepq ",1787611613,"The United States removed Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Aug. 24, eliminating restrictions on investment in the Middle Eastern nation as it reintegrates into the world economy following a major regime change.Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the formal rescission of Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in a statement on Monday. The rescission followed a 45-day pre-notification period that started when President Donald Trump informed Congress of the change on July 8.“Today, I formally rescinded Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism,” Rubio wrote in a statement on X. “This action unlocks new potential for Syria’s economic revitalization and progress. The Trump Administration continues to advance U.S. national security to achieve peace, prosperity, and security in the Middle East.”...",[],"selectedArticleImage","rootArticleImageUrl","consensusHtml","tweets",[],"userSchema","relatedArticles",[277,313],"actionData","errors"]

U.S. Removes Syria From State Sponsors of Terrorism List

Story coverage