President Trump informed Congress of his intent to pull Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST).
“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,” a release from the State Department says. “A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world.”
The rescission follows President Trump’s 2025 order directing sanctions relief for Syria as part of the “positive changes and counterterrorism actions taken by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.” President al-Sharaa has declared that “Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”
The development comes as a reporter asked President Trump if he would remove Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
“I think I will, yeah. I think I will, why wouldn’t I? He’s done a great job,” he said. “Uh, maybe he would have wrote that up in a little, but that’s a good question. Yeah, I will.”
President Trump met with al-Sharaa in May 2025. “President Trump thanked [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and the Crown Prince for their friendship, and told President Al-Sharaa that he has a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country. President Trump encouraged President Al-Sharaa to do a great job for the Syrian people,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the time. “President Al-Sharaa affirmed his commitment to the 1974 disengagement with Israel. President Al-Sharaa concluded with his hope that Syria would serve as a critical link in facilitating trade between east and west, and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas,” she added.
