The Government of the United States has stopped considering Syria a state sponsor of terrorism, ending 47 years on the official U.S. list following a decision driven by President Donald Trump.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced the exclusion of Damascus "in accordance with President Trump's promise to ease sanctions on Syria." "Syria is no longer subject to the prohibitions of the Terrorist Governments List Sanctions Regulation," the agency specified in its notification.
In its statement, OFAC also refers to the removal of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), the armed jihadist group led by current president Ahmed al Shara, from the list of terrorist organizations, a decision that the U.S. Department of State had already announced in July 2025.
The Syrian Foreign Minister, Hasán al Shaibani, has conveyed his congratulations to the population for the exit from the list "after 47 years," a situation he attributes to the "policies and practices of the former regime" of Hafez and Bashar al Assad.
Al Shaibani has emphasized the "transformation" experienced by Syrian society, as well as the authorities' commitment to "international peace and security" and their "cooperation and partnership with the United States."
The exclusion of Syria has become effective after last Friday the congressional review period regarding the Trump Administration's decision to remove Damascus from the list, where it had been since 1979, concluded without objections. After this change, only Cuba, Iran, and North Korea remain on the list.
Trump's Support and Economic Effects
Trump has shared on his personal social network a previous message from Al Shaibani in which he celebrates the decision. "We have closed a dark chapter in the history of Syria with the end of this classification imposed by the policies of the former regime of 1979," Al Shaibani stated, mentioning U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. ambassador and envoy Tom Barrack.
Countries included on this list cannot benefit from aid from Washington, acquire weapons manufactured in the United States, or import certain goods and technologies. With the withdrawal of Syria, the possibility opens for U.S. companies to intervene in the reconstruction of the country after years of armed conflict.
"The withdrawal of this designation, along with the lifting of sanctions, will support economic recovery, create the necessary conditions for reconstruction efforts, and promote trade and investment, in a way that serves the interests of the Syrian people and contributes to regional security and stability," the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently stated.
Trump has become one of the main defenders of the new authorities that emerged after the fall of Bashar al Assad's regime in December 2024, as a result of an offensive by jihadists and rebel groups led by the current president Ahmed al Shara.