The United States said on July 8 it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio notified Congress of the long-expected move, which will be effective in 45 days unless lawmakers take the unlikely step of blocking it.
The step came as President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Türkiye with Sharaa, who has sought to recast himself as a unifying figure after the 2024 toppling of the Assad family, which ruled with an iron fist for a half century.
“This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness,” Rubio said in a statement.
“Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people,” he said.
Trump’s embrace of Sharaa comes despite misgivings from Israel, which has repeatedly launched airstrikes in Syria, one of its historic adversaries.
Trump had earlier publicly pressed for Syria to make peace with Israel but went ahead with the delisting decision despite a lack of tangible progress.
Damascus also welcomed the U.S. announcement.
"A dark page in Syria's history has been turned," Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani wrote on X.
The Syrian foreign ministry called the move "an important development in the course of Syrian-American relations, which are based on dialogue, mutual respect and shared interests".
The U.S. decision "paves the way to boost investment, accelerate economic recovery and reintegrate Syria into the global economy," Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Barnieh said.
Rubio said in his statement that “a stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world.”
Syria is seeking economic support to rebuild after years of brutal war that helped rise to the ISIL terror group and generated a major refugee crisis.
Meeting in Ankara with Sharaa, who has traded his guerrilla fatigues for a suit, Trump said, “He’s doing an unbelievable job in unifying Syria. What a job he’s doing.”
“Syria was a mess with what happened with the previous government,” Trump said.
Trump’s initial lifting of sanctions had a muted impact as Syria was still considered a state sponsor of terrorism, meaning that businesses face legal risks inside the United States if they operate in the country.
Rubio said that the delisting decision came after “formal assurances” by Sharaa that “Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”
With the removal, only three countries remain on the terror blacklist , Iran, North Korea and Cuba. Cuba was controversially designated by the Trump administration at the end of its first term as it exerted pressure on the communist-led island.
The United States has listed Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979.
