US Moves To Rescind Syria’s State Sponsor Of Terrorism Designation After Trump Meets Ahmad Al Sharaa

The US moved to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism after Donald Trump “informed Congress of his administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST),” the US State Department announced on July 8.

“The Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein's visit to Damascus at the end of last month opened a new phase in the relations between the two neighboring countries, driven primarily by political and security interests, and by economic ones”

Al-Jazeera Net

The decision followed a meeting between Trump and Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, and it came after Sharaa met French President Emmanuel Macron in Damascus on July 6 and 7.

Al-Jazeera Net

Syria was designated as a State Sponsor of Terrorism in 1979, when former President of Syria Hafez al Assad was in power, and the move to end the designation was described as part of White House efforts to end sanctions on Syria and end a $10 million bounty once offered for Sharaa.

The State Department said on July 8 that “Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people,” and it said the development followed a June 30, 2025 decision by Trump directing sanctions relief for Syria.

SANA said on July 8 that “President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the historic decision by US President Donald Trump to lift sanctions on Syria” was “deeply appreciated by the Syrian people.”

The Reuters-linked timeline in the Long War Journal account placed Sharaa’s July diplomacy at the center of the US decision, including meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron in Damascus on July 6 and 7 and with Trump in Ankara on the NATO summit sidelines.

It said Macron became the first major Western leader to make a state visit to Syria since the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime in December 2024, and it added that Sharaa called Macron’s visit a “new chapter” in relations.

Anadolu Ajansı

During Macron’s visit, the Long War Journal account said there was a bomb attack in central Damascus, illustrating the continued terrorist threat Syria faces.

The same account said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the decision to rescind the SST designation a “historic step,” and it quoted US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack praising the move as opening “a new chapter” for Syria.

In parallel, the Long War Journal account described Sharaa’s early-July engagements in Ankara as including a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 8 and a meeting with a bipartisan group of US lawmakers led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

The Long War Journal account said Syria was seeking increased foreign investment to address widespread challenges, including reconstruction across numerous cities damaged in the war, and it said Syria was investing in airports and border crossings while seeking investors for energy projects.

“US President Donald Trump “informed Congress of his administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST),” the US State Department announced on July 8”

Long War Journal

The Observatory of Think Tanks report described Syria’s energy-sector recovery as requiring institutional reforms and enhanced transparency and political stability, and it said the greatest challenge included “the ongoing American sanctions and Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.”

It also said the Washington Institute for Near East Policy noted Syria has “promising opportunities to attract substantial investments in oil, gas, and electricity,” with memoranda of understanding and initial bilateral agreements worth billions of dollars announced with American, European, and Gulf companies.

The Al-Jazeera Net account tied regional economic steps to security and border access, saying Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein’s visit to Damascus at the end of the last month opened a new phase in relations and resulted in an agreement to form a joint committee in energy, agriculture, water, transport, and border crossings.

It added that the two countries share a border of about 600 kilometers and that this geography presents challenges including security issues and threats to trade convoys, while Iraqi economist Ali Dadoosh said the file faces consequences of international sanctions on Syria that limit Iraqi banks and companies from executing financial and investment transactions.