The United States removes Syria from its state sponsors of terrorism list after forty-seven years | The Refract
What the comparison reveals
What everyone says
On August 24, Washington formally removed Syria from its list of states supporting terrorism, where it had been listed since 1979 (47 years).
The decision is justified by Washington - through the Treasury and State Department - as a means to promote private investment and economic and political stability in Syria, lifting a major legal obstacle to its reconstruction.
This measure comes in the context of Bashar al-Assad's fall in December 2024 and the rise to power of Ahmed al-Charaa, former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Where it breaks apart
— Legal Status of HTS — Washington has removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from its list of terrorist organizations, but Russian media notes that this group, which now controls Damascus, remains classified as a terrorist organization in Russia — a difference in classification that other analyzed accounts do not mention.
— Economic or Geopolitical Interpretation — Most accounts present the removal as an economic and diplomatic lever for Syrian reconstruction, while Russian media frames it as a step in the consolidation of American influence over post-Assad Syria, amid Turkish and Gulf repositioning.
Conflits & Securite
The United States removes Syria from its state sponsors of terrorism list after forty-seven years
published on
August 25, 2026
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gap
On August 24, 2026, the US State Department and Treasury formally removed Syria from the list of states supporting terrorism, where Damascus had been listed since 1979. The decision is accompanied by the removal of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the list of designated terrorist organizations and the Treasury's sanctions list (SDN). This follows a notification sent to Congress on July 8 by the Trump administration, after a 45-day regulatory period. Only Iran, North Korea, and Cuba remain on the US blacklist.
Damascus now hopes for the lifting of all remaining US sanctions, although no timeline has been announced.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa
Former head of HTS, he met with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey before the announcement.
In Russia
The HTC remains classified as a terrorist organization despite being removed from the US blacklist.
The European Union
Brussels lifted its sanctions against Damascus as early as May 2025, ahead of the United Kingdom and Canada.
Understand the context
JUL 8, 2026
Donald Trump notifies Congress of his intention to remove Syria from the blacklist
AUG 24, 2026
Washington officially removes Syria from the list of states supporting terrorism
Key figures
47 ans
Duration of Syria's listing on the US blacklist of states supporting terrorism
