France, July 18 -- Trump made the announcement on 8 July after a meeting with Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.

The US created the list in 1979 under the Export Administration Act, with Syria the first country to be added on 29 December.

The American administration of the time, under President Jimmy Carter, believed the Syrian government had supported international terrorist groups, with militant Palestinian operations working across the Middle East of particular concern.

Despite his former life as a jihadist, since coming to power in January 2025 following decades of hardline rule by the Assad family, Sharraa has attempted to cast himself as the unifier of a deeply divided country.

"From day one, when Ahmad al-Sha...