The United States announced on Monday that it had removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, where the country had remained for 47 years.
The decision removes what Washington described as the “last major obstacles” to private investment in Syria and supports the country’s return to the global economy.
The administration of US President Donald Trump announced its intention to remove Syria from the terror list in early July, less than two years after President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by a coalition of jihadist groups in December 2024.
HTS and Syrian president also removed
The US has also removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, and its leader, current Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, from its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
The al-Nusra Front, once al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, announced in 2016 that it was severing its ties with the organisation and changed its name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision offers Syrians “a path to prosperity”.
“The actions taken today will further encourage investment in Syria to promote political and economic stability,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Syria welcomes ‘historic’ decision
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack welcomed the move on X, describing it as another decisive step in Syria’s transition “from isolation to partnership”.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani described the US decision as a “historic step”, saying it reflected the commitment of the new Syrian state to peace and international security.
Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Barniyeh called it a “major and historic success for Syrian diplomacy”, according to comments carried by the official SANA news agency.
He said the decision opens an important path towards deeper integration of Syria into the global economic and financial system, attracting investment and modern technologies and supporting the country’s development prospects.
Western sanctions gradually lifted
The US Treasury Department also removed HTS from its sanctions list on Monday.
Since 2025, several Western countries have gradually lifted sanctions imposed on Syria, including Canada and the UK. The European Union lifted its sanctions in May 2025.
The US list of state sponsors of terrorism now contains three countries: Cuba, North Korea and Iran.
Also read: Trump’s sanctions begin as Tehran warns of “earthquake-like” retaliation
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