Trump notifies Congress to remove Syria from terrorism sponsors list

Summary

Syria has been on the U.S. List of state sponsors of terrorism since 1979, and on Wednesday Donald Trump began the formal process of removing it. Trump notified Congress of the decision after meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, telling him the move would help rebuild a country shattered by more than a decade of civil war. The notification to Congress triggers a statutory review period before the designation can be officially lifted, but the signal from Washington is unambiguous: the U.S. Is recalibrating its relationship with the new Syrian government. Al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, rose to lead Syria after Bashar al-Assad's government collapsed late last year, putting a former jihadist commander at the center of a diplomatic opening with the United States. The terrorism designation has long blocked Syria from accessing international financing, foreign investment, and reconstruction aid, so removing it would carry real economic consequences for Damascus. It is one of the most significant shifts in American policy toward Syria in decades, and it comes at a moment when the country's new leadership is still consolidating control over fractured territory.