ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received a signed letter from US President Donald Trump late Wednesday informing Congress of his decision to remove Syria from its decades-long designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
“Today, I have notified Congress of my decision to rescind the State Sponsor of Terrorism designation for Syria,” read a letter signed by Trump, as carried by Syrian state media.
“By law, Congress will now conduct a 45-day review to make it final,” the letter added.
Sharaa was seen holding the letter alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani on their way back to Damascus from Ankara, following the conclusion of a NATO summit.
During a meeting with the Syrian leader on the sidelines of the summit, when asked whether he would consider removing Syria from the state sponsors of terrorism list, Trump said, “I think I will. Why wouldn’t I?”
"Syria has become very stable. It's really been stabilized, and we're proud of that," Trump added.
Syria has been on the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list since late 1979. It was one of the original countries designated when the list was first created by the US State Department.
The designation imposes a strict ban on purchasing military-related items and US economic and development aid, as well as enforcing secondary sanctions by barring the country from accessing international financial institutions while penalizing state and non-state actors engaging with it.
The president cannot unilaterally lift the designation. The removal process involves a statutory congressional review.
Trump’s letter to Sharaa further explained, “I promised to remove all barriers stopping you from rebuilding your country, and very soon, you will finally be able to do so. We have US companies ready to invest in Syria and help make your country greater and more prosperous than ever before.”
“I look forward to the positive impact this will have for the Syrian people, and to deepening the partnership between our two countries,” it added.
For his part, Shaibani extended his appreciation to Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoy to Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack, and “everyone who stood by Syria’s side.”
“We have closed a dark chapter in Syria's history by lifting the classification imposed on it due to the policies of the defunct regime of 1979,” he said on his account on X.
Since seizing power from ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and being appointed interim president in late January, Sharaa has sought to restore international ties and lift sanctions, particularly US sanctions.
In May 2025, Trump announced plans to lift broad, economy-wide sanctions on Syria. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 25, authorizing previously prohibited transactions.
Late in June of the same year, Trump signed an executive order revoking six prior orders that formed the sanctions framework, effective July 1. Accordingly, OFAC removed 518 individuals and entities, including the Central Bank of Syria, from the Specially Designated Nationals List.
More importantly, he repealed the Caesar Act and its sweeping secondary sanctions in late 2025. The restrictions of the act had heavily penalized non-US companies, individuals, and international banks for doing business in Syria.
