In a separate statement Monday, Rubio said the revocation of the designation “follows the announced dissolution of HTS and the Syrian government’s commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms.”

“This action also builds on the momentum of the June 30 Executive Order ‘Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions’ and recognizes the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa,” he said. “This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria.”

The United States and Syria have not yet re-established diplomatic relations, although a number of administration officials have met with Syrian officials, including interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Al-Sharaa is the leader of the HTS, which was was formed out of a former al Qaeda affiliate. HTS, with Al-Sharaa at its helm, led the shocking ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to formally end US sanctions on Syria, following an announcement earlier in June that he would lift sanctions in order to help the country rebuild after years of war.

As part of the executive order, the administration was reviewing Syria’s state sponsor of terrorism and foreign terrorist organization designations, a senior administration official said. The state sponsor of terrorism designation has been in place since 1979.

The executive order also directed the State Department to review the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designations on the HTS and al-Sharaa.

A State Department spokesperson said Tuesday that HTS “remains identified as an alias of Al-Nusrah Front, which is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) at this time.” Al-Sharaa is still listed as an SDGT on the Treasury Department’s sanctions list.