US Terrorist Listings on HTS and How They Relate to UN Designations

Dr. Karam Shaar and Vittorio Maresca di Serracapriola analyze how the US terrorist designations and delisting mechanisms interact with UN sanctions. The US has sanctioned Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s Interim President and de facto leader, solely under the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) designation. Meanwhile, his group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) holds both an SDGT designation and a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) label. The report examines the comparative stringency of these designations, showing how each imposes severe legal and financial restrictions. It also highlights the interaction between UN and US delistings, noting that unlike listings—mandated by the UN Security Council through Chapter VII resolutions—delistings do not carry the same binding requirement.