The United States has decided to remove Syria's ruling organization from the list of terrorists
The United States has decided to revoke the terrorist designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, to which the current Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, belongs. The relevant decision by Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been published on the US Federal Register website.
The document is dated June 23, but it will be officially published and take effect on July 8.
Rubio notes that he consulted with the Attorney General of the States, Pam Bondi, and the Secretary of Finance, Scott Bessent, before making this decision.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was formerly a branch of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, but since 2023 the organization has declared its departure from Islamic fundamentalism. HTS was a leading force in the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and the organization's leader, al-Sharaa, initially became the de facto head of Syria, and later assumed the presidency of the country for a transitional period.
- At the end of May, the Trump administration issued orders that effectively lifted sanctions against Syria. The European Union subsequently did the same, and in June the country returned to the SWIFT international payment system.
- Washington plans to reduce its military presence in Syria and leave only one base.