'Earth shifting': Trump begins process to remove Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list

'Earth shifting': Trump begins process to remove Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Wed, 07/08/2026 - 19:30 The announcement follows Trump's meeting with his Syrian counterpart on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the Nato summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on 8 July 2026 (Saul Lobe/AFP) Off In what is arguably the most impactful deliverable from President Donald Trump's trip to Ankara, Turkey, this week, the US on Wednesday formally began the process of removing Syria from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SST). There are only four countries on that list: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria, which was added in 1979. "This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.