Trump says US poised to drop Syria from terror blacklist - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that he will remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.

“I think I will. Why wouldn't I? He's done a great job,” Trump said at the NATO Summit in Ankara, alongside Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Sharaa, a former rebel leader once designated as a terrorist by the US government, led a coalition of armed groups that toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Trump has embraced Sharaa’s new government and pledged to lift all US sanctions on the country during the pair’s initial meeting in May 2025.

Read Elizabeth Hagedorn's full reporting on this story here.

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Trump says US poised to drop Syria from terror blacklist

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

People celebrate in Damascus' Omeyyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP) (Photo by ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Trump wants to lift all US sanctions on Syria: Can he?

Adam Lucente

Rosaleen Carroll , Adam Lucente

People gather to celebrate an iftar meal organized by a humanitarian organization, as they break their fast on March 4, 2025, amid the ruins of the Qaboun neighborhood of Damascus, Syria.

Feature

Syria’s post-Assad economy falters as US stalls on sanctions relief

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Trump to meet Sharaa at White House, capping major turnaround for Syria