On July 8, President Donald Trump notified Congress that he will remove Syria from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. Syria has carried the disreputable tag continuously since the list was created in 1979, alongside such esteemed fellows as Cuba, North Korea, and Iran. The decision follows Trump’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Ankara that same day, and is subject to a 45-day congressional review before taking effect.
The designation of state sponsor of terrorism carries restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance, defense exports, and even financial transactions that would be lifted if Congress does not block the rescission. Syria remains in dire need of reconstruction aid after more than a decade of civil war and the downfall of the Assad regime in 2024, and Trump is ready to support the effort.
“I promised to remove all barriers stopping you from rebuilding your country … We have U.S. companies ready to invest in Syria and help make your country greater and more prosperous than ever before,” wrote Trump in a letter to Sharaa after their meeting in Ankara.
The history behind the designation is important to understanding the why behind Trump’s decision. The Syrian state placed on the list in 1979 and synonymous in many minds with the picture of terrorism and chemical warfare was the Assad regime: first under Hafez al-Assad and then his son, Bashar. The Assads aligned Syria with Iran, supported Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations, and turned the country into a central link in Tehran’s regional network of power. The civil war that began in 2011 also allowed ISIS and al-Qaeda to seize large sections of Syrian territory.
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