It's a 'New Era of US-Syrian Relations'

Syria has just shed a label it has worn for nearly half a century. The US on Monday dropped Damascus from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move Syrian officials called the final major hurdle to attracting foreign investment after years of war and sanctions, per Reuters. The change took effect after a 45-day congressional review following President Donald Trump's July notice of intent to rescind the designation as Syria seeks investment to rebuild after more than a decade of war.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the step reflects actions and pledges by President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government to cut ties to international terrorism. The US also removed al-Sharaa's former militant group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, from the specially designated global terrorist list, the Hill reports, describing this as "a new era of US-Syrian relations." The shift follows Washington's termination of broad Syria sanctions in 2025 and months of talks that, sources say, included Damascus agreeing to sharply curb Russian oil imports. Cuba, Iran, and North Korea remain on the terrorism-sponsor list.