US removes Syria from the state sponsors of terrorism list after 47 Years

Syria had been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979, when Hafez Assad’s government cooperated with terrorist groups.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The United States removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism Monday after the completion of a 45-day congressional review period, eliminating a major barrier to investment as Washington seeks to expand economic ties with Damascus..

“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,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Syria had been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979, when Hafez Assad’s government cooperated with terrorist groups.

The designation remained in place throughout the rule of his son, Bashar Assad, until his government was overthrown by al-Sharaa in 2024.

Removing Syria from the list leaves Cuba, Iran, and North Korea as the three countries Washington designates as state sponsors of terrorism.

The designation imposes restrictions on US foreign assistance, defense exports and sales, and financial transactions.

It had continued to discourage banks and investors from doing business in Syria even after Washington dismantled its broader sanctions program against the country.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Reuters on Saturday that Damascus hoped the removal of the final impediment to foreign investment: “There is no longer any obstacle to investment, doing business and rebuilding economic life in Syria,” al-Shaibani said.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 opened the way for a major shift in U.S.-Syria relations.

President Donald Trump subsequently pursued closer ties with Syria’s new government, meeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh in 2025 and later at the White House.

Washington also began dismantling restrictions that had isolated Syria economically, ending its core sanctions program before Congress repealed the Caesar Act to encourage reconstruction and foreign investment.

The administration later moved to remove Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

In return, Damascus pledged greater counterterrorism cooperation against ISIS and participated in U.S.-mediated security talks with Israel.