President Trump said Wednesday that he will lift Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, saying the country has made huge strides under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
“I think I will. Why wouldn’t I?” Mr. Trump said when asked if he would remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
“He’s done a great job,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. al-Sharaa, adding that Syria could help the U.S. deal with Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy in Lebanon that has been fighting with Israel for years.
Mr. Trump’s comments came during a meeting with Mr. al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
The relationship between the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Syria was strong under former President Bashar Assad, who was ousted in 2024. It dramatically deteriorated following the fall of the Assad regime.
Eliminating the state sponsor of terrorism designation would clear the way for private-sector investment in Syria, boosting Mr. al-Sharra’s government and enabling the U.S. to increase economic and diplomatic ties in the Middle East amid the Iran war.
Mr. Trump last year directed the State Department to review the designation and consider removing it if Syria made steps to clear diplomatic hurdles. The state sponsor of terrorism list largely includes rogue nations and pariah states such as Iran and North Korea.
In addition to severing ties with Hezbollah, Mr. al-Sharaa cut off Syria’s relationship with Russia, ending its military presence at an airbase in Latakia and a naval base in Tartus.
Ahead of Mr. Trump’s trip to Ankara, a group of bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the administration to lift the state sponsor of terrorism designation on Syria.
The letter was signed by Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican.
“While Syria does need to make more progress in a variety of areas, discussed further below, the grounds for the SST designation in U.S. law no longer apply and the listing remains a significant barrier to achieving the Administration and congressional priority of giving Syria a chance to succeed,” the letter reads.
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