Has Ahmed al-Sharaa been designated as a terrorist by the US or UN?

1. Background: from Abu Mohammad al‑Julani to Ahmed al‑Sharaa

Ahmed al‑Sharaa rose to prominence as the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al‑Julani, the leader of Jabhat al‑Nusra and later Hayʾat Tahrir al‑Sham (HTS); multiple outlets and encyclopedic entries identify that evolution and his shedding of the nom de guerre when he moved into Syrian politics ^{[4] [5]}.

2. U.S. designation history and recent change

The U.S. designated him as a terrorist years ago — including public bounty reporting and placement on terrorism sanctions lists — and multiple outlets report that, in 2025, the State Department/Treasury removed him from U.S. terrorist lists and the U.S. stopped treating HTS as a foreign terrorist organization, steps framed by U.S. officials as enabling engagement with the new Syrian leadership ^{[1] [6] [7] [2]}.

3. United Nations action and Security Council vote

UN reporting and Security Council analysts show the Council moved to amend the UN’s ISIL/Al‑Qaida sanctions list to remove interim Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa and other Syrian officials from the 1267/1989/2253 listings, a decision tied to wider diplomatic moves to reintegrate Syria and follow unilateral delistings ^{[2] [3]}.

4. How outlets describe the delistings — agreement and divergence

Mainstream outlets (Reuters, BBC, CNN) and analyses (Security Council Report, Asia Times) largely agree that U.S. authorities removed his U.S. designation and that the UK and UN took parallel steps to ease terrorist listings for HTS figures and Sharaa himself; commentary pieces treat the moves as a deliberate policy pivot, while opinion and regional outlets emphasize the political risks and controversy of rehabilitating a former jihadi leader ^{[7] [8] [9] [6]}.

5. What the delistings mean in practice

Coverage notes practical steps tied to the delistings: removal from the U.S. “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” status, lifting or suspension of certain sanctions (e.g., temporary Caesar Act relief reported by Asia Times), and Security Council amendment of the 1267 ISIL/Al‑Qaida sanctions list — moves presented as intended to allow diplomatic engagement and reconstruction finance but also flagged as reversible or reviewable by some Council members ^{[6] [2] [3]}.

6. Critics, political context and unanswered questions

Critics in media and parliamentarian queries stress that al‑Sharaa’s past leadership of HTS (listed previously by the EU, U.S. and UN according to a European Parliament question) raises legal and moral questions about invitation to international summits and normalization ^[10]. Reporting also records unease within Security Council debates (e.g., China calling for time‑limited delisting and review) — showing the delistings were politically contested, not unanimous ^[2].

7. What available sources do not mention

Available sources do not mention full text copies of the specific U.S. or UN delisting orders (for example, the exact legal finding text) nor do they provide a definitive, itemized list of which sanctions remain in force against Syria or affiliates beyond the noted measures; for those documents, primary government releases would be needed and are not included in the current set of reports ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

8. Bottom line for your question

Yes — reporting indicates Ahmed al‑Sharaa was previously designated by the United States as a terrorist and was subject to UN-associated sanctions tied to HTS, but in 2025 the U.S. removed his U.S. terrorist designation and the U.N. Security Council moved to amend the 1267/ISIL‑Al‑Qaida list to delist him, steps that commentators describe as part of a broader political rehabilitation and contested diplomatic strategy ^{[1] [2] [3]}.