The Scoop
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has formally notified Congress that the Trump administration plans to lift Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, he said in a statement to Semafor on Wednesday.
Trump told reporters earlier Wednesday that he planned to ditch the label following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara. Advocates for fully normalized US-Syria relations had previously told Semafor they were expecting the announcement as soon as Wednesday.
“Today, President Trump informed Congress of his administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST), following a 45-day pre-notification period,” Rubio said. “This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness.”
“Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people,” Rubio added. “A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world.”
Rubio cited an executive order from June 2025 that directed a review of the designation as well as “the positive changes and counterterrorism actions taken by the Syrian government, in addition to “formal assurances provided by President al-Sharaa that Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”
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Stripping the state sponsor of terrorism designation would clear the way for private-sector investment in Syria, bolstering al-Sharaa’s government — and helping the US grow its foothold in the Middle East as it seeks a long-term deal to end the Iran war.
The label, first imposed on Syria in 1979 after a previous regime sided with Palestinian militants, continues to repel the business deals the country has said it needs to recover from its crippling civil war.
Companies “want to make investments, but the designation is an impediment,” Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., told Semafor, adding that he’d personally raised the matter with Rubio.
“We’re not looking for perfect governments,” Wilson said.
The GOP-controlled Congress overcame intraparty divides to repeal Caesar Act sanctions on Syria last year. The Trump administration has previously scrapped other key restrictions — including al-Sharaa’s designation as a terrorist.
But the state sponsor of terrorism designation had created separate legal uncertainty for energy companies like Chevron and ConocoPhillips, which have already entered into agreements with Syria’s state-owned oil company — likely under the assumption the label would eventually be removed.
The label also made it harder for tech companies to export their products to Syria, fueling fears the country could soon turn to China instead.
Nokia, for example, recently saw a deal to sell $30,000 of telecom equipment to Syria’s parliament delayed until it received a license from the US in June, according to people familiar with the process.
“There’s no legal or legislative reason for the SST [designation] to still be in place — nothing,” said Charles Lister, director of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute.
Notable
- We reported a year ago on the thorny beginning of the Syria sanctions debate in Congress.