Trump Removes Syria from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

JAKARTA - President Donald Trump said the United States is considering removing Syria from the list of countries supporting terrorism as listed in the Ministry of Finance.

"I think I'll do it. Why not? He's done a great job," Trump told reporters, pointing to Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

"Maybe he'll bring it up in a minute - that's a good question. Yes, there's a problem with that? I think we'd better do it. Yes, I'll do it," Trump continued, as reported by CNN, Wednesday, July 8.

Syria has been designated by the US as a state sponsor of terrorism since December 1979, but lawmakers from both parties have urged that the country be removed from the list, citing the fall of the Assad regime.

Trump's latest statement follows a series of US steps towards normalizing relations with Syria. Last year, the Trump administration revoked the foreign terrorist group status for Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - also known as the al-Nusra Front - led by the president.