The US State Department has removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, fulfilling President Donald Trump's commitment to provide sanctions relief to Damascus.
Syria is no longer subject to prohibitions under the Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control on Monday.
Syria held the designation since 1979, and the label carried sweeping restrictions on security assistance, financial transactions and foreign investment.
Although most US sanctions were lifted following the fall of Bashar al Assad's regime, the designation has remained one of the main obstacles to the country's economic recovery.
Trump formally notified Congress of the intent to lift the label on July 8 following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa in Ankara.
Washington also revoked the designation of the Al Nusra Front, also known as Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organisation.
The Treasury's office also removed HTS from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list.
Consequently, General License 25, which had authorised transactions otherwise prohibited because of the group's involvement in the government, was revoked because it is "no longer necessary", according to the office.
HTS was an armed Syrian opposition resistance group that fought against the brutality of the Assad regime as well as Daesh terrorists.
The group was led by al Sharaa, who became Syria's president after Assad's ouster.
The policy shift followed the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 and subsequent efforts by al Sharaa to stabilise the country.
The Assad regime was repeatedly accused by the UN, international human rights organisations and Western governments of widespread violations, including mass killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the use of chemical weapons.
Assad fled to Russia, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.
Al Sharaa made a historic visit to the White House last November, marking the first by a Syrian leader since the country's independence in 1946.
This followed an earlier meeting with Trump in Riyadh in May 2025, which occurred shortly before Washington lifted the Caesar sanctions.
Post-Assad, Syria's new government enacted reforms, promoted unity, and pursued regional and international cooperation.
