The US Treasury Department followed with sanctions relief aimed at easing economic restrictions on Damascus.
The United States on Monday removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, ending a 46-year designation and clearing another major hurdle for investment as Washington moves to deepen ties with Syria’s new government.
The US State Department also revoked its designation of Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as a foreign terrorist organisation. HTS-led rebels overthrew longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The US Treasury Department followed with sanctions relief aimed at easing economic restrictions on Damascus.
“Today’s action will help foster additional investment in Syria to promote political and economic stability,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Washington Opens Door To Investment
The move follows US President Donald Trump’s decision in July to begin the process of removing Syria from the terrorism list, in a major policy shift towards Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the latest steps would give Syrians “a path to prosperity” and remove what he called the “final major barriers for private sector investment in Syria and promotes Syria’s economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy”.
“These actions were all taken in recognition of the positive actions taken and further commitments by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa to fully distance Syria from acts of international terrorism,” Rubio said in a statement.
The US Treasury Department said the changes fulfilled Trump’s promise to provide sanctions relief, while stressing that Washington would continue targeting individuals and groups involved in terrorism.
HTS, formerly known as Al-Nusrah Front, was once Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria before breaking with the jihadist group in 2016.
Trump has also met Sharaa during efforts to rebuild US-Syrian ties following the fall of Assad, whose family ruled Syria for decades.
Damascus Hails ‘Historic Milestone’
Syria welcomed the US moves, with Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani calling the delisting a “historic milestone” and saying it reflected the new government’s commitment to international peace and security.
