US set to remove Syria from 'sponsors of terrorism' list

The United States is poised to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a status it has held for nearly 47 years. On 22 August, the mandatory 45-day congressional review period concluded without any action to halt the removal. The final step involves Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally publishing the rescission in the Federal Register.

Syria was first designated as a state sponsor of terrorism on 29 December 1979 under President Hafez al-Assad, citing support for international terrorism. This designation persisted through Bashar al-Assad's rule and throughout the Syrian civil war. President Donald Trump informed Congress on 8 July that the administration planned to rescind the designation, stating that Syria's government had not supported international terrorism in the past six months and had pledged not to do so in the future.

This move comes after the fall of the Assad government in December 2024 and Washington's efforts to reestablish relations with Syria's interim leadership. President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government has cooperated with the U.S. on counterterrorism and joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November 2025. As a result, Syria will be the first country to be removed from the list since Sudan in 2020. Iran, North Korea, and Cuba are the only other countries remaining on the list.