Tuesday, August 25, 2026 -The United States has delisted Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, rescinding a decades-old designation that had severely impeded investment.
The US Department of State also revoked its designation of
al-Nusrah Front — also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — as a global
terrorist organization.
The Treasury Department followed through with sanctions
relief.
“Today’s
action will help foster additional investment in Syria to promote political and
economic stability,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Treasury said the moves were “in line with President
(Donald) Trump’s promise to deliver sanctions relief to Syria.”
But the agency stressed that its removal of restrictions on
Syria “does not change Treasury’s posture with regards to countering global
terrorism and our commitment to hold bad actors in Syria accountable.”
HTS was earlier known as Al-Nusra Front and was formerly the
branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria. But it broke ties with the jihadist group in 2016
and sought to soften its image.
The United States had initially announced in July its intent
to delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move seen as a vote of
confidence in leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The step came as Trump met on the sidelines of a NATO summit
in Turkey with Sharaa, a former jihadist who has sought to recast himself as a
unifying figure after the 2024 toppling of the Assad family, which ruled with
an iron fist for a half-century.
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