US Formally Removes Syria from State Sponsors of Terrorism List

On August 24, 2026, the U.S. State Department and Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) officially removed Syria from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list and its associated regulatory framework. The decision follows the completion of a mandatory 45-day congressional review period initiated by President Donald Trump on July 8, 2026, which ended without congressional objection. The move lifts long-standing restrictions on financial transactions, U.S. foreign assistance, and defense exports, reflecting Washington's effort to reset ties with Syria's transitional government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa following the fall of the Assad regime.

// Background

The United States originally designated Syria a state sponsor of terrorism on December 29, 1979, citing support for international terrorism under President Hafez al-Assad. The designation remained through the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian civil war. Following the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024, the transitional government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa actively sought to rebuild international ties, including joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November 2025.

// Key Developments

• Syria is rescinded from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list nearly 47 years after its original 1979 designation.
• The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) updated sanctions regulations with immediate effect, removing restrictions on financial and banking transactions.
• The official action follows the expiration of a 45-day congressional review period on August 22, 2026, which passed without legislative objection.
• The U.S. also removed the designation of the Nusrah Front as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization.
• Syria becomes the first country removed from the list since Sudan in 2020, leaving Iran, North Korea, and Cuba on the list.