US Removes Syria from Terrorism Sponsor List After 47 Years
Syria is set to be removed from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list, bringing to an end a designation that has remained in force for nearly 47 years.
A mandatory 45-day congressional review period expired on August 22 without any reported action to block the move. The remaining step is the formal publication of the rescission in the Federal Register by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A Designation Dating to 1979 – Washington placed Syria on the terrorism sponsor list on December 29, 1979, citing repeated support for acts of international terrorism under the government of Hafez al-Assad.
The designation survived the transfer of power to Bashar al-Assad and remained in place throughout the Syrian civil war.
Its removal follows the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024 and a broader U.S. effort to reset relations with Syria’s transitional authorities.
Congressional Clock Expires – President Donald Trump formally notified Congress on July 8 that his administration intended to rescind the designation.
Trump certified that the Syrian government had provided no support for acts of international terrorism during the preceding six months and had given assurances that it would not do so in the future.
That notification triggered the statutory 45-day review period. No blocking resolution has been reported before its expiry.
The final administrative action now rests with the State Department.
