Bipartisan members push for Syria removal from state sponsor of terrorism list

A bipartisan pair of lawmakers are asking the Trump administration to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism (SST), arguing that the country has made massive strides since the ousting of dictator Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024, according to a letter shared exclusively with The Hill.

The letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio was sent Wednesday by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.). The trio argued the time is right to lift the SST designation on Syria and remove it from a list of pariah states that include Iran, North Korea and Cuba.

The removal of Syria from the SST list remains one of the last hurdles for Damascus to fully rejoin the international community, since formerly-designated terrorist Ahmed al Sharaa overthrew Assad, assumed control of the government and took steps to build ties with President Trump — with the backing of powerful Gulf allies and Turkey.

Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Wilson, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were at the forefront of a Congressional effort giving support to al-Sharaa’s new leadership, and exacting commitments on counter-terrorism cooperation in exchange for sanctions relief.

“Since the fall of the Assad regime, President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and the new Syrian government have demonstrated continued commitment to counterterrorism operations within Syria,” the lawmakers wrote.

“While Syria does need to make more progress in a variety of areas, discussed further below, the grounds for the SST designation in U.S. law no longer apply and the listing remains a significant barrier to achieving the Administration and congressional priority of giving Syria a chance to succeed,” they added.

Removing the SST designation will pave the way for American and international companies to fully invest in the country without running afoul of U.S. sanctions. More than a decade of civil war in the country has amounted to reconstruction costs estimated at $216 billion.

The terrorism designation is a reputational blight on a country and imposes significant sanctions, blocking U.S. foreign assistance, imposes a ban on defense exports and sales and certain controls over exports of dual use items. The label also permits the U.S. to levy more punishing sanctions.

“Syria’s SST designation represents the most significant remaining legal impediment to Syria’s reconstruction,” the lawmakers continued in their letter.

“Its removal could create new opportunity for foreign investment, economic development and capacity building to ensure the Syrians can remain capable and willing partners to the United States,” they added.

Shaheen, Warren and Wilson commend steps by al-Sharaa’s government to join U.S.-counterterrorism efforts but acknowledge there are more actions Damascus needs to take to demonstrate a turn away from America’s adversaries.

The lawmakers pressed Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, to lift the designation while also encouraging the Trump administration to take further, important steps.

This includes Syria severing its military relationship with the Kremlin by kicking out Russia’s military presence at an airbase in Latakia and a naval base in the coastal city of Tartus. They also call for the U.S. to press al-Sharaa to “share power among Syria’s diverse communities and among others” outside of the president’s inner circle.

The trio further called for women to have a full seat at the table in Syria’s future governance, security and development, including in leadership roles.

The lawmakers said the administration must also continue pushing for al-Sharaa to remove foreign fighters from leadership positions, officially designate as terrorist groups organizations like Hezbollah and demonstrate progress on “peaceful integration” with Syria’s Kurdish population in the northeast of the country, as well as the Druze in the south.

“Removal of the SST designation does not mean deprioritizing these steps, which are critical to securing a free and prosperous future, just as waiver and eventual repeal of the Caesar Act did not mean deprioritizing these steps,” the letter reads.

“Rather, it is an acknowledgment that reliance on SST instead of more targeted tools for leverage is counterproductive to achieving our shared priorities,” the lawmakers added.

Bipartisan members push for Syria removal from state sponsor of terrorism list

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