US Removes Syria From Arms Export Ban List, State Dept Says
The US State Department has removed Syria from its blanket arms export denial policy, but licenses will be reviewed case by case after the Assad regime's fall.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The US State Department announced on Thursday, that it has removed Syria from the list of countries subject to a blanket policy of denying licenses to export defense weapons, equipment and services. The department said the decision is moving into implementation.
The State Department stressed that the decision does not mean arms contracts for Syria are automatically permitted. Until now, license applications involving Syria fell under the blanket denial policy. Following the amendment, the department will examine each application individually and decide on approval or rejection according to the circumstances of the case.
The change rests on a new defense trade policy toward Syria. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved it on Aug. 19, 2026, and ordered that it be formally incorporated into the international arms trade regulations.
The department said the legal requirements for the step have been completed. These include rescinding Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and lifting restrictions imposed under several US laws. Among them are the law on holding Syria accountable and restoring Lebanese sovereignty, the law on controlling chemical and biological weapons and eliminating their use in warfare, and the law prohibiting the use of children in armed forces.
The decision falls within broader US efforts to ease sanctions and restrictions on Syria and to reorganize economic and defense dealings with the country. It follows the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
In August 2026, the US took a step that paved the way for lifting the remaining restrictions on arms sales and military financing.
With the blanket denial policy gone, the fate of any Syria-related export request will now depend on the State Department's individual assessment of each license application.