The United States has formally removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and lifted most of its comprehensive sanctions against the country, potentially opening the way for increased private-sector investment and economic recovery.
The US Department of State announced the decision Monday following a 45-day notification period to Congress.
The move followed President Donald Trump’s pledge to give Syria an opportunity to pursue peace and economic recovery.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the decision, together with the removal of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, would help remove major barriers to investment.
The action, he said, “eliminates the final major barriers for private sector investment in Syria and promotes Syria’s economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy.”
According to updates from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the relief package includes the termination of comprehensive sanctions following Trump’s Executive Order 14312, which ended the national emergency and revoked six executive orders underpinning the Syria sanctions regime.
The measures also repeal the Caesar Act, removing mandatory sanctions on foreign persons and companies doing business in Syria’s infrastructure and energy sectors.
Washington also lifted several terrorism designations and eased export controls and financial restrictions.
HTS had its Foreign Terrorist Organization designation revoked on July 8, 2025, while its SDGT designation was removed on August 24, 2026.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Hasan Khattab had previously been removed from the SDGT list in November 2025.
Rubio said the policy change reflected what Washington considered positive steps by the Syrian government, including joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November 2025 and carrying out operations against ISIS, al-Qaida, Hizballah and Iran-aligned groups.
Rubio said Trump had announced the lifting of sanctions in May 2025 to give Syria an opportunity to rebuild.
The administration said it would now encourage US businesses, banks and regional partners to re-engage with Syria while continuing to deny resources to harmful actors.
“The US government will coordinate with the public and private sector to provide guidance to support these new policies,” the State Department said.
© 2026, Standard Focus. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from STANDARD FOCUS.