Syria ‘shakes off dark stain’ with removal from US terror list, Sharaa says

DAMASCUS

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa hailed early on Aug. 25 the United States’ removal of his country from the state sponsors of terror list, a major sanctions relief step.

“Today, Syria shakes off a dark stain and tears away a painful chapter of its past to embark on a path of development, reconstruction and rebuilding,” Sharaa said in a speech.
Washington’s decision on Aug. 24 rescinded a decades-old designation that came with severe economic restrictions, marking another step in warming ties between the countries following the 2024 ouster of
longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

The Treasury Department announced corresponding sanctions relief.

Sharaa expressed his “many thanks to the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and to all the friendly and supportive nations that stood by us.”

Türkiye also welcomed the move welcomed Washington’s decision, hoping that it would boost efforts to integrate the war-torn country with the world.

“We believe this decision will lend momentum to efforts to strengthen Syria’s ties with the international community and to establish lasting security and stability in the country,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The U.S. Department of State also revoked its designation of the al-Nusra Front, latterly known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as a global terrorist organization.

Syria’s new authorities are trying to attract investment to support the country and rebuild its infrastructure, heavily damaged by more than a decade of civil war.

The United States had initially announced in July its intent to delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move seen as a vote of confidence in Sharaa.

The Aug. 24 move gave Syria’s “a path to prosperity,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The action “eliminates the final major barriers for private sector investment in Syria and promotes Syria’s economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy,” he said in a statement.

Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani described Washington’s delisting as a “historic milestone” and said it reflected “the new Syrian state’s commitment to international peace and security.”