The United States will remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism

President Joe Biden will remove the US designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism as part of a prisoner release deal, the White House said.

President-elect Donald Trump reinstated the designation in the final days of his first presidency in 2021, banning U.S. economic aid and arms exports to the country.

But on Tuesday, a Biden administration official said an assessment of the situation had not presented “any information” to support the designation.

Cuba said the measure was a step “in the right direction” despite its “limited nature.”

“This decision puts an end to specific coercive measures that, along with many others, cause serious damage to the Cuban economy, with serious effects on the population,” the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The immediate hope is that the move will lead to the release of some protesters jailed after large anti-government protests in Cuba over the nation’s economic decline in 2021.

The White House official said a “significant” number of prisoners would be released “in a short time” as part of the agreement, facilitated by the Catholic Church.

Cuba is currently located next to North Korea, Syria and Iran in the United States list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

This means that the United States considers that they have “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.”

In adding Cuba back to the list after its removal in 2015 by President Barack Obama, Trump cited the communist country’s support for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

At that time Cuba described the measure as “cynical”, “hypocritical” and an act of “political opportunism.”

In addition to promoting the release of prisoners, this decision is also significant because it can be seen as a step toward normalizing relations between Cuba and the United States.

This could pave the way for dialogue on other contentious issues.

It could also help Cuba’s dire economic situation, as some large banks and foreign investors have had difficulty operating there legally.

Biden will notify Congress of his plans, which also include reversing Trump-era financial restrictions on some Cubans, according to a White House statement.

It will also suspend the ability of individuals to file claims for confiscated property in Cuba, the statement said.

It is unclear whether Trump will reverse this latest decision when he returns to office on January 20.

The president-elect’s nominee as the next U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has long advocated for sanctions on Cuba.

His family left the country in the 1950s, before the communist revolution that put Fidel Castro in power.