# 2026-19657: Syria drops off U.S. terrorism sponsor list, sanctions rules revamped

2026-19657, Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations, is a Federal Register rule from Treasury Department, Foreign Assets Control Office published 2026-09-25, effective 2026-09-25; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19657
- As of: 2026-10-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-19657
- Title: Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Treasury Department; Foreign Assets Control Office
- Citation: 91 FR 60825
- Published: 2026-09-25
- Effective: 2026-09-25
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-10-02

## In one line

Syria drops off U.S. terrorism sponsor list, sanctions rules revamped

## Summary

The U.S. Treasury is updating rules because Syria is no longer labeled a State Sponsor of Terrorism. This means a special permission for Syria-related activities is being removed since it’s no longer needed. The change takes effect on September 25, 2026, and affects anyone dealing with Syria under these sanctions.

## Abstract

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is amending the Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations to implement changes resulting from the rescission of the designation of Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Specifically, OFAC is removing and reserving a Syria-specific general license because the authorization is no longer necessary following the rescission.

## Effects PRIA read

- Syria removed from Terrorism List: benefit, medium. The Secretary of State rescinded Syria's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, effective August 24, 2026. As a result, the Government of Syria is no longer a "Terrorism List Government" for purposes of the Terrorism List Governments Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 596).
- Syria-specific general license removed: benefit, medium. OFAC is removing and reserving the Syria-specific general license at 31 CFR 596.505 because that authorization is no longer necessary following the rescission of Syria's designation. This regulatory text change is effective September 25, 2026.
- Willful violations may carry criminal penalties: cost, medium. The rule states that willful violations of the regulations set forth in this final rule may be subject to criminal penalties under 50 U.S.C. 1705, and that the statutory authority for criminal liability requires a mens rea of willfulness pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 1705(c).

## Related documents

- [2026-20683](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20683): Notice of OFAC Sanctions Actions, 2026-10-08
- [2026-20526](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20526): Notice of OFAC Sanctions Actions, 2026-10-07
- [2026-20525](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20525): Notice of OFAC Sanctions Action, 2026-10-07
- [2026-20475](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20475): Notice of OFAC Sanctions Action, 2026-10-06
- [2026-20425](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20425): Notice of OFAC Sanctions Action, 2026-10-06
- [2026-20395](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20395): Notice of OFAC Sanctions Action, 2026-10-06

## Sources
- [2026-19657 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/25/2026-19657/terrorism-list-governments-sanctions-regulations)
- [2026-19657 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-25/pdf/2026-19657.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-19656, Food Additives Permitted for Direct Addition to Food for Human Consumption; Vit…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19656)
- [Next: 2026-19666, Estate Tax Closing Letter User Fee Update](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19666)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19657 (as of 2026-10-02).