The United States says it will remove Syria’s designation as a “state sponsor of terrorism”, a decades-old label that severely impeded investment, in a new vote of confidence in President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement published on Wednesday. The long-expected move will be effective in 45 days unless lawmakers take the unlikely step of blocking it.

The step came as President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkiye with al-Sharaa, a former rebel who has sought to recast himself as a unifying figure after the 2024 toppling of the al-Assad family, which led an oppressive regime for a half-century.

“Lifting sanctions on Syria will unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people,” Rubio said. “A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world”.

Trump’s embrace of al-Sharaa comes despite misgivings from Israel, which has repeatedly launched air strikes in Syria, one of its historical adversaries.

The US president had earlier publicly pressed for Syria to make peace with Israel, but went ahead with the delisting decision despite a lack of tangible progress.

Syria is seeking economic support to rebuild after years of brutal war that helped give rise to the ISIL (ISIS) armed group and generated a major refugee crisis.

Meeting in Ankara with al-Sharaa, who has traded his battle fatigues for a suit, Trump said, “He’s doing an unbelievable job in unifying Syria. What a job he’s doing.”

“Syria was a mess with what happened with the previous government,” Trump said.

Trump’s initial lifting of sanctions had a muted effect, as Syria was still considered a “state sponsor of terrorism”, meaning that businesses face legal risks inside the US if they operate in the country.

Rubio said that the delisting decision came after “formal assurances” from al-Sharaa that “Syria will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.”

When Syria is removed, only three countries will remain on the “terrorism blacklist” – Iran, North Korea and Cuba. Cuba was controversially designated by the Trump administration at the end of its first term as it exerted pressure on the communist-led island.

The United States has listed Syria as a “state sponsor of terrorism” since 1979.

Under ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his late father, Hafez, Syria was a haven for Palestinian armed groups, and Damascus was alleged to have direct involvement in incidents such as a 1986 attempted bombing of a flight of Israeli carrier El Al.

In recent years, Syria’s US “terrorism” designation has been primarily related to al-Assad’s relationship with Iran and support for Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed Shia movement.

Last month, Trump suggested that Syria, under al-Sharaa, could take over from Israel in a military campaign to degrade Hezbollah. Al-Sharaa denied any intention to intervene militarily in Lebanon, which Syria had occupied for decades under the al-Assads.