Trump Says He Expects to Remove Syria from U.S. Terrorism Sponsor List

What Trump Said

President Donald Trump, meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Turkey on Wednesday, July 8, told reporters he expects to remove Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. His exact words, according to both The Jerusalem Post and The New Arab: "I think I will."

Trump added that the U.S. had "released sanctions from the country" and that Syria had "become very stable." He also said he believes Syria "could help with Hezbollah" and Lebanon, though he offered no specifics.

Later at the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said he believes Israel intends to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. "I think they want to," he told reporters, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The Sanctions Backdrop

The terrorism-list declaration would be the next formal step in a months-long U.S. policy shift on Syria. Last month, Trump signed an executive order terminating the core U.S. sanctions program on Syria, ending the country's isolation from the international financial system. Washington also repealed the Caesar Act, which had imposed sweeping penalties on individuals, companies, and institutions tied to former President Bashar al-Assad, according to The New Arab.

Sanctions targeting Assad personally, his associates, alleged human rights abusers, and other destabilizing actors remain in place. The Caesar Act repeal opened economic lanes for reconstruction investment, while the Assad-specific sanctions signal Washington still holds the former regime accountable.

Several Saudi firms are planning billion-dollar investments in Syria's recovery, and other Gulf states have pledged financial assistance, according to The New Arab.

Who Is Ahmed al-Sharaa

The man Trump is meeting with carries significant baggage. Ahmed al-Sharaa was a commander of Al Qaeda's Nusra Front in Syria before distancing himself from that network. He later led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist faction that played a central role in Assad's ouster. HTS has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.

Trump complimented al-Sharaa during the meeting, according to The New Arab.

The Strongest Counterargument

Skeptics of this rapprochement have a reasonable case. Al-Sharaa's break from Al Qaeda was tactical and relatively recent. HTS governed Idlib province with methods that drew consistent human rights criticism. Removing Syria from the terrorism sponsor list creates new avenues for U.S. military equipment exports, foreign assistance, and financial engagement with a government whose democratic credentials are unproven. Critics argue that normalizing a former jihadist commander this quickly, and this publicly, sets a dangerous precedent: that seizing power and rebranding is enough to earn full U.S. legitimacy.

That concern deserves a straight answer, not dismissal. The counterpoint the Trump administration appears to be making is a pragmatic one: Syria's post-Assad government is the reality on the ground, regional partners are already moving billions in investment, and keeping Syria on an isolation list forfeits U.S. influence over how the country rebuilds. Whether that trade-off is wise depends heavily on whether al-Sharaa's government can deliver on governance, minority protections, and counterterrorism cooperation. None of those outcomes are guaranteed.

What the Designation Change Would Actually Do

Being on the state sponsors of terrorism list is NOT ceremonial. The designation legally restricts U.S. foreign assistance, blocks defense export licenses, and triggers penalties on third-country entities doing certain business with the listed state. Removing Syria would clear those legal barriers and allow normal bilateral economic and security engagement.

The U.S. review of Syria's designation was already underway before Wednesday's statement. Trump's "I think I will" is a strong public signal but not a formal executive action. The removal would require either a presidential determination under the Export Administration Act or a congressional notification process, depending on the statutory basis used.

The Open Question

Trump's remarks on Israel withdrawing from southern Lebanon are notable but thin. He offered no timeline, no conditions, and no Israeli government confirmation on the record. Whether Syria under al-Sharaa can actually deliver meaningful pressure on Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran which Syria now borders, remains entirely unproven. That claim is the most consequential part of the U.S. bet here, and it has no sourced evidence behind it yet.