North Korea, Iran, Syria remain on US State Sponsor of Terrorism list

WASHINGTON: Three countries now remain on the US State Sponsor of Terrorism list following the delisting of Sudan.

According to the State Department website, the three countries are Syria (listed in 1979), Iran (1984) and North Korea (2017).

Sudan was put on the list in 1993 after it was accused of harboring groups that Washington deemed as terrorists. The country was cut off from the global economy and was starved of foreign investment.

Other countries that were once on the list and later removed include Iraq (first removed in 1982, relisted in 1990, and again removed in 2004), South Yemen (1990, when it merged with North Yemen), Libya (2006) and Cuba (2015).

The US can place four categories of sanctions on countries on the list – restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defence exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions.

Sanctions can also be placed on countries and persons who engage in certain trade with designated countries.