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United States Removes Syria from State Sponsors of Terrorism List

morning · · thread: Syria and Russia Reach Agreement on Future of Military Bases

11 sources across 9 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation
  • UOL Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Folha
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Haaretz Israel · Left · Schocken family and M. DuMont Schauberg
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • Neue Zuercher Zeitung Switzerland · Centre-right · Dispersed shareholders, no controlling stake
  • Al-Monitor United States · Centre · Jamal Daniel

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

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The United States officially removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism on Monday, ending a designation that had been in place since 1979. The decision follows the December 2024 overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad by rebels led by current president Ahmed al-Sharaa. Along with the removal of the country, the U.S. Department of State revoked the terrorist designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, which was once an affiliate of al-Qaeda before severing ties in 2016.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the move recognizes the Syrian government's commitments to distance itself from international terrorism. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that the action aligns with President Donald Trump's promise to provide sanctions relief to promote political and economic stability. The removal lifts significant barriers to private sector investment, U.S. foreign assistance, and defense exports. Only Cuba, North Korea, and Iran remain on the state sponsors of terrorism list.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa and other Syrian officials described the move as a historic step toward reconstruction and reintegration into the global financial system. Reports indicate the decision followed a meeting between President Trump and President al-Sharaa on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkey and a 45 day congressional review period. Some reports suggest that Damascus agreed to reduce Russian oil imports as part of the negotiations.

While the U.S. Treasury emphasized that the move does not change its commitment to holding bad actors accountable, the strategic goal is to pull Syria away from the influence of Russia and Iran. Meanwhile, the region remains tense; reports note ongoing hostilities between Israel and Syria, though some sources mention recent U.S. mediated talks between Syrian and Israeli representatives in Amman to de-escalate tensions.

How each side framed it

Left
This outlet focused on the personal interaction between President al-Sharaa and President Trump amid ongoing hostilities with Israel.
Centre-left
These outlets highlighted the historic nature of the shift and the potential for Syrian recovery and reconstruction.
Centre
These outlets focused on the diplomatic and economic mechanics of the delisting and the strategic goal of reducing Russian and Iranian influence.
Centre-right
These outlets emphasized the move as a major diplomatic shift and a fulfillment of President Trump's specific promises.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.