Syria is set to be removed from the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list after nearly 47 years.

A mandatory 45-day congressional review period expired on 22 August without reported action to block the move. The remaining step is formal publication of the rescission in the Federal Register by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Washington designated Syria a state sponsor of terrorism on 29 December 1979, citing support for international terrorism under then-President Hafez al-Assad. The designation remained through Bashar al-Assad’s rule and the Syrian civil war.

President Donald Trump notified Congress on 8 July that his administration intended to rescind the designation, saying Syria’s government had not supported international terrorism during the previous six months and had pledged not to do so.

The move follows the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024 and Washington’s effort to reset ties with Syria’s transitional authorities.

The government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa has cooperated with Washington on counterterrorism and joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November 2025.

Syria will become the first country removed from the list since Sudan in 2020. Iran, North Korea and Cuba will remain on the list.