Key facts
- Syria is set to be removed from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
- The designation, in place since December 29, 1979, will be rescinded.
- A 45-day congressional review period expired on August 22 without objection.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio must formally publish the rescission in the Federal Register.
- Syria's government has not supported international terrorism in the six months prior to the rescission notice.
- Syria's transitional authorities are cooperating with Washington on counterterrorism efforts.
Syria is on the verge of being removed from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, a designation that has been in place for nearly 47 years. The move follows a mandatory 45-day congressional review period that concluded on August 22 without any action to block the rescission. The final step requires formal publication in the Federal Register by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Washington first designated Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism on December 29, 1979, citing its support for international terrorism during the tenure of then-President Hafez al-Assad. This designation persisted through the rule of Bashar al-Assad and the subsequent Syrian civil war.
President Donald Trump had informed Congress on July 8 of his administration's intention to remove Syria from the list, stating that the Syrian government had not supported international terrorism in the preceding six months and had committed to not doing so in the future. This decision comes after the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024 and aligns with Washington's efforts to establish relations with Syria's transitional authorities.
The government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa has reportedly cooperated with Washington on counterterrorism initiatives and joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November 2025. Syria will join Sudan, which was removed from the list in 2020, as the only country to have been delisted. Iran, North Korea, and Cuba will remain on the list.