From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.
Iraq-Syria Rapprochement Makes Baghdad More Valuable, Not More Exposed
On July 8, 2026, the Donald Trump administration informed the US Congress of its intent to rescind Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, a label the country had carried since 1979.
The move follows a June 2025 executive order unwinding the sanctions architecture, and has been the clearest signal yet that Washington intends to shift Damascus from a pariah state into a functioning regional partner.
The move follows the May 31 appointment of US Ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack as presidential envoy for Iraq and Syria. Barrack has described the three countries now under his purview as the region's "strategic fulcrum," suggesting that all are now being seen in Washington as a single theater of US policy.
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