Trump Says He Will Remove Syria From the US List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

Trump formally notified Congress on Wednesday of his decision to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, a step he first announced at the NATO summit in Ankara, Al Jazeera reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the removal would take effect after a 45-day congressional review period, during which lawmakers could attempt to block it, France 24 reported. The notification followed Trump's meeting in Ankara with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led the offensive that removed Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The designation, in place for decades, carries sweeping financial and trade restrictions, and its removal would begin to reconnect Syria to international banking, investment and reconstruction finance.

The move fits a broader realignment underway across the region. Delisting is the legal precondition for foreign capital to enter a country that has been cut off from the dollar-based financial system, and it allows reconstruction contracts, energy investment and normal trade.

The economic stakes are concrete. A country cut off from correspondent banking cannot easily import, export, or attract investment, so removal from the list is less a symbolic gesture than a practical step that can restore commerce, subject to remaining sanctions.

The step also reflects a change in American alignment in the Middle East, in which old designations are being reconsidered as Washington recalculates its partnerships. For investors, the signal is that jurisdictions long treated as uninvestable can re-enter the system when politics change.