US Removes Syria from Terror Sponsor List
The United States removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism on August 24, 2026, and also lifted sanctions on the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which now leads the country after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The move was welcomed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and attributed to President Donald Trump's policy shift.
Consensus
- The United States removed Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism on August 24.
- The decision was announced by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
- The U.S. also lifted sanctions on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia.
- Syria had been on the list since 1979.
- The change followed the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 21, 2024, and the rise of Ahmed al-Sharaa as president.
- The move was attributed to President Donald Trump’s policy and was intended to support Syria’s economic recovery and international reintegration.
- The U.S. has also removed other sanctions on Syria in the past months, including the removal of Ahmed al-Sharaa from the sanctions list in November 2025.
Points of divergence
- The European Union announced the cancellation of all economic sanctions against Syria in May 2025. — meduza
- Donald Trump signed an executive order in June 2025 to lift sanctions against Syria. — meduza
- The U.S. government notified Congress in July 2026 of its intent to change Syria’s status. — meduza
- The Syrian government under al-Sharaa promised to make Syria a democratic state. — meduza
- The U.S. Congress approved the decision, and the change took effect on Monday, August 24. — tg_bbcrussian
- The U.S. Department of State removed HTS from the list of terrorist organizations on July 8, 2025. — tg_echoonline_news
- The U.S. Congress had a 45-day review period after Trump notified them of the intent to remove Syria from the list. — kommerant
- The U.S. acted as a mediator in Syria-Israel negotiations held in Jordan. — vesti
Coverage (10 sources)
- President of Syria welcomed easing of American sanctions — Интерфакс
- USA excluded Syria from list of states — sponsors of terrorism. This status the country received in 1979 — Meduza
- Syria welcomed US decision to remove it from terrorism sponsors list — BBC News Русская служба
- US excluded Syria from list of state sponsors of terrorism, financial agency press service reported — ASTRA
- USA excludes Syria from list of state sponsors of terrorism — ЭХО / Новости
- USA excluded Syria from list of states — sponsors of terrorism. Damascus was on it since 1979 — Фонтанка
- US removed Syria's status as a state-sponsor of terrorism — Коммерсантъ
- USA announced easing of a number of sanctions against Syria — Интерфакс
- USA excluded Syria from list of countries - sponsors of terrorism — Вести
- USA excluded Syria from list of countries — sponsors of terrorism, financial agency press service reported. — ТАСС (Telegram)
Key entities
- USA
- Syria
- Donald Trump
- Ministry of Finance
- Department of State
- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
- Moscow
- Washington
- INTERFAX.RU
- Ministry of Finance
- Damascus
- Russia
- State Department
- Marco Rubio
- Ahmed ash-Sharaa
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