Syrian president pays for coffee with Visa card after country’s removal from US list
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa paid for coffee with a Visa card at a café in Damascus’s Old City. In a video published by an official government account, he was accompanied by Central Bank Governor Mohammed Safwat Raslan. The payment was presented as a symbol of Syrian banks’ return to the global financial system after the country was removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
As Euronews reports, the caption accompanying the video said that such a simple transaction had been impossible for more than 15 years. Raslan called Syria’s removal from the list a historic step that returns the country to its natural place in the global economic system.
US decision
The US State Department on Monday revoked Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, which had been in effect since 1979. The decision took effect after a 45-day congressional review that began following US President Donald Trump’s July notification to lawmakers.
At the same time, the United States removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the offensive that resulted in the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, from the list of specially designated global terrorists.
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Financial restrictions and sanctions
Most US sanctions against Syria had been lifted earlier: the comprehensive sanctions program was terminated in mid-2025, and Congress repealed the Caesar Act in the December 2025 defense spending law. At the same time, the state sponsor of terrorism designation maintained restrictions on financial transactions and deterred banks and investors.
The US Treasury Department confirmed that US financial institutions may serve Syrian clients, process payments involving Syrian banks, and establish correspondent banking relationships. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this would facilitate additional investment for Syria’s political and economic stability.
At the same time, restrictions remain in force against associates of Bashar al-Assad, human rights violators, and individuals linked to the captagon trade. Syria also remains on the Financial Action Task Force’s “grey list” due to concerns over money laundering.
European Union steps
The Council of the EU lifted all economic sanctions against Syria in May 2025, while retaining restrictions for security reasons, including on weapons and technologies that could be used for internal repression. On 11 May, the EU restored the full application of the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement and held its first high-level political dialogue with Damascus since the start of the civil war. A week later, the European Union extended until June 2027 measures against individuals linked to the former regime and removed seven entities from the list, including the interior and defense ministries, which are now run by the transitional authorities.
