WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- The U.S. has formally removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, the Treasury Department says – one year after the Al-Qaeda and Daesh-led insurgency, backed by Western, Turkish, and Persian Gulf powers, toppled former President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The decision follows a 45-day congressional review initiated when President Donald Trump notified Congress in July of his intention to lift the designation. 
Treasury chief Scott Bessent said the move aligns with “Trump’s promise to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness,” adding that it would “help foster additional investment in Syria to promote political and economic stability.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the “positive actions taken and further commitments by the Syrian government under de facto president Abu Muhammad al-Jolani to fully distance Syria from acts of international terrorism.”
The Treasury statement confirmed that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the extremist organization that forms the backbone of Syria’s new defense ministry – is “no longer blocked pursuant to the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations.”
This rehabilitation is deeply revealing. Jolani served as deputy to late Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before forming the Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s official Syrian branch.  
HTS, under his command, is responsible for brutal suicide bombings, sectarian massacres, and war crimes across Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Yet Washington now hails him as a “partner” in fighting the very extremism he once championed.
The irony is staggering: sanctions were originally imposed on Syria while the most brutal terrorists from across the world waged a war on Assad’s government. Now, those same terrorists govern the country – and the U.S. has rewarded them with diplomatic legitimacy.
The U.S. is now pressuring Jolani to serve as a proxy for Israeli objectives, including invading Lebanon and fighting Israel’s war on Hezbollah. This mirrors Washington’s broader strategy of outsourcing regional conflicts to extremist proxies. 
Meanwhile, Jolani’s forces continue to attack, kill, and displace minorities – including Shia, Alawite, Druze, and Kurdish communities – with impunity. The March 2026 massacres of thousands of Alawite civilians stand as a grim testament to the new regime’s brutality.
Damascus has also detained Palestinian resistance officials and frozen their assets, aligning with U.S. and Israeli regional objectives. 
As Washington lifts sanctions, it simultaneously intensifies its economic siege on Cuba, exposing the cynical selectivity of its foreign policy. Syria’s new extremist-led state is now preparing for billions in Persian Gulf investment deals, while the Syrian people continue to suffer economic devastation.