The Syrian government released video Wednesday showing al-Sharaa making the purchase during a sit-down with Syria’s central bank governor Mohammed Safwat Raslan. The simple transaction carried enormous symbolic weight for a nation cut off from Western banking for decades.
“Today, in the oldest continuously inhabited capital in the world, Syria’s return to the global financial system became a fact,” Syria’s rapid response account posted on X alongside the video.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially pulled Syria off the terror list on Monday, ending a designation that had stood since 1979, three years before al-Sharaa was even born. The move came 45 days after President Trump triggered a congressional review to end the classification.
“This action unlocks new potential for Syria’s economic revitalization and progress,” Rubio said Monday. “The Trump Administration continues to advance U.S. national security to achieve peace, prosperity, and security in the Middle East.”
Central bank governor Raslan hailed the decision as “a historic step that restores the country to its natural place in the global economic system.”
The delisting represents a major diplomatic victory for al-Sharaa, who rose to power after toppling the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024. Since then, he’s worked to mend Syria’s fraught relations with countries around the world, particularly Western nations, as he focuses on rebuilding after 15 years of brutal civil war.
President Trump met with al-Sharaa in Turkey last month during the NATO summit. The two leaders discussed prospects for removing Syria from the terror list, setting the stage for Monday’s announcement.
The terror designation had devastating economic consequences for ordinary Syrians. It cut the country off entirely from the U.S. financial system, blacklisted Syria from military exports, and blocked access to critical foreign aid. Basic financial transactions that Americans take for granted were simply unavailable to Syrian citizens.
Trump had been working for over a year and a half to wind down sanctions on Syria, viewing the country’s reconstruction as an opportunity to advance American interests in the Middle East while supporting a new government that overthrew a decades-old dictatorship.
The Assad regime, backed by Russia and Iran, had maintained an iron grip on Syria until its collapse in late 2024. The civil war that preceded Assad’s fall killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century.
Al-Sharaa has touted his efforts to open Syria back up to the rest of the world. The credit card transaction in Old Damascus, while simple, demonstrated that those efforts are producing real results for his country’s economic future.
For a nation that endured nearly half a century on America’s terror list and 15 years of devastating conflict, a cup of coffee paid for with a Visa card represents something far greater than a financial transaction. It signals Syria’s potential return to the community of nations and the beginning of what could be a long road to recovery.
