State Department Removes Cuba From State Sponsors of Terrorism List

The United States has officially removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, marking another step in the renewal of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

"The rescission of Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism reflects our assessment that Cuba meets the statutory criteria for rescission," the State Department said in a statement, adding that while there are "significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a State Sponsor of Terrorism designation."

Cuba had been on the list, which includes Iran, Sudan, and Syria, since 1982. The online list has since been updated to no longer include Cuba.

In April, President Obama submitted a report to Congress calling for the removal of Cuba following a State Department review, which then had 45 days to review the decision. That period expired on Friday. The recommendation certified that Cuba had not provided support to terrorist groups in the last six months, and that they would not do so in the future. While the removal lifts some barriers against Cuba, only Congress can end the overall embargo, which was officially put in place in 1962.

Obama announced the start of a process to normalize relations with Cuba in December.

The United States and Cuba have also been in talks about re-establishing embassies. Last week, diplomats closed a round of talks with no agreement, though top U.S. diplomat for Latin America, Roberta Jacobson, said that the two sides were "much closer" to restoring diplomatic relations. On Wednesday, ABC News reported that an announcement on reopening embassies is expected to take place next week.

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