The president of Syria, Ahmed al Sharaa, celebrated the decision by the United States to remove his country from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a classification that had been in effect since 1979 and imposed significant economic, financial, and commercial restrictions on Damascus for decades.
“I thank His Excellency President Donald Trump for his historic decision,” Al Sharaa wrote on his X account, where he also congratulated the Syrian people on the change. The measure had been announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and went into effect after the congressional review period ended.
The removal of Syria from the list represents a significant shift in Washington's policy towards Damascus. The designation as a state sponsor of terrorism had limited the country's access to U.S. assistance, certain financial operations, technology, and military cooperation, in addition to complicating trade relations with international companies.
The U.S. government justified the decision by the changes made by the new Syrian authorities following the fall of Bashar al Assad in December 2024. Rubio highlighted the commitments made by Al Sharaa to dissociate the Syrian state from international terrorist activities and mentioned Syria's inclusion in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, as well as operations against networks of the Islamic State, Al Qaeda, and Hezbollah.
