U.S. President Donald Trump notified Congress of his decision to rescind Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, Reuters reported on July 8, citing an unnamed senior U.S. official. Congress must conduct a 45-day review of the decision for it to be finalized.

The decision came after Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, earlier on July 8. The United States removed al-Sharaa from the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list in November 2025, several months after revoking the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation of al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group in July 2025. Furthermore, the United States has repealed the majority of sanctions on Syria, including the December 2025 repeal of the Caesar Act sanctions, paving the way for business opportunities, investment and reconstruction. The United States initially designated Syria a state sponsor of terrorism in December 1979 due to the former al Assad regime's support for terrorist groups.