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........

© The Hill