Trump Announces Plan to Delist Syria as Terror Sponsor

President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey, on the sidelines of the NATO summit and announced his intent to remove Syria from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. The move, which requires a 45-day congressional review to become final, marks a significant shift in U.S. policy toward a country that has been under that designation for decades.

During a joint news conference, Trump praised al-Sharaa's leadership, stating he had done a great job in pulling the country together since becoming transitional president following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Trump highlighted Syria's historical culture and said the dark days of the Assad era were in the past. A senior U.S. administration official confirmed that Congress was formally notified of the decision on Wednesday.

For his part, President al-Sharaa credited the lifting of U.S. sanctions, which Trump terminated in June 2025, as crucial to Syria's recent progress. He said that over the past year and a half, Syria had achieved a major accomplishment in unifying the country and setting it on the right path, with help from regional partners including Turkey...