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US to remove Syria from terror sponsor list

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The United States announced its decision to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation it has held since 1979.
  • This move, made by the Trump administration, offers direct diplomatic support to Syrian leader Ahmed al Sharaa and aims to facilitate economic recovery and foreign investment.
  • The delisting is contingent on formal guarantees from Syria that it will not finance international terrorism, and it faces a 45-day window before automatically taking effect unless blocked by Congress.

The United States is set to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that has been in place since 1979. The decision by the Trump administration signals direct diplomatic backing for Syria's new leader, Ahmed al Sharaa, who assumed leadership after the ousting of the Bashar al Assad dynasty in 2024.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally notified Congress of the intent to rescind Syria's designation. This action is expected to pave the way for economic opportunities and recovery, offering the Syrian people a chance for a better future. The resolution will automatically take effect in 45 days unless Congress passes legislation to block it, a move considered unlikely by foreign policy analysts.

The announcement coincided with a bilateral meeting between President Trump and al Sharaa in Ankara, Turkey, on the sidelines of a NATO summit. The Trump administration stated that removing Syria from the international blacklist is essential for its economic reconstruction, which has been devastated by years of civil conflict and political transition. Previous easing of some executive sanctions had limited impact because global corporations still faced significant legal risks for operating in Syria.

According to the State Department, Syria's institutional revival and the influx of foreign investment are crucial for stabilizing a region grappling with refugee crises and extremist groups like the Islamic State. Secretary Rubio clarified that the delisting is based on formal assurances from al Sharaa, committing the Syrian state to refrain from financing or harboring international terrorism in the future. This explicit backing for al Sharaa, a former insurgent leader now presenting a unified institutional image, proceeds despite strategic reservations from Israel, which has conducted airstrikes in Syrian territory to counter border threats.

Today @POTUS informed Congress of his intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. This historic step opens new possibilities for economic opportunity and recovery, giving the Syrian people a chance at greatness.

— Secretary Marco RubioTweeting about the US decision to remove Syria from the state sponsors of terrorism list.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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