President Donald Trump has formally notified the US Congress of his administration’s intent to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation in place since 1979. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the notification on Wednesday, stating that the delisting would take effect after a 45-day legislative review period, unless lawmakers take the unlikely step of blocking it. The announcement came as Trump met Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, where the American leader declared, “I think I will, yeah. Why wouldn’t I? He’s done a great job.”

According to the State Department, the decision rests on formal assurances from Sharaa that Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future, as well as what Rubio described as “positive changes and counterterrorism actions” taken by the new government. In a letter to Sharaa seen by Reuters, Trump wrote that the move would remove all barriers to rebuilding the country and that US companies were ready to invest. Viewed from Washington, the step is the culmination of a year-long recalibration: the administration had already lifted most sanctions, revoked the Caesar Act, and removed Sharaa and his Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham movement from terrorist lists, arguing that the fall of the Assad regime had eliminated the original rationale for the designation.

Regional reactions underscore the geopolitical stakes. Israeli officials have repeatedly voiced misgivings, and the Israeli military has conducted airstrikes on Syrian territory, viewing Damascus as a historic adversary. Trump had publicly pressed Syria to normalise ties with Israel, but proceeded with the delisting despite no tangible progress on that front. By contrast, Turkey, which hosted the summit, has been a key backer of Sharaa’s government and coordinated with Washington on the reunification effort. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have pledged billions in investment and aid, contingent on Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system. In the US Congress, a bipartisan group of lawmakers had urged the administration to lift the designation, calling it “the most significant remaining legal impediment to Syria’s reconstruction.”

The state sponsor of terrorism label, first applied under Hafez al-Assad, had barred most US foreign assistance, defence exports, and financial transactions, and created legal risks for any business operating in Syria. Its removal is expected to unlock international trade and investment, facilitate the work of firms like Chevron and ConocoPhillips that have already signed preliminary agreements with the Syrian national oil company, and allow Damascus to access the international banking system. Sanctions targeting Bashar al-Assad, his associates, and individuals accused of human rights abuses remain in force. With the delisting, only Iran, North Korea, and Cuba will remain on the US terror blacklist. The 45-day congressional review is now underway; barring legislative obstruction, the decision will become final in late August.