US Lifts Syria Arms Export Ban, Opens Door to Case-by-Case Weapons Sales

The Trump administration is removing Syria from a list of countries barred from purchasing or importing US weaponry, the latest step in a months-long process of easing sanctions on the new government in Damascus and its leaders.

In a notice published Wednesday in the Federal Register, the State Department amended its International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) so that Syria is no longer among the nations subject to a policy of denial for licenses and other approvals required for the sale of US weapons and munitions. The change took effect Thursday, meaning arms sales requests from Syria will now be considered on a case-by-case basis rather than automatically rejected.

The move follows earlier actions by Washington to draw closer to the current Syrian government. President Donald Trump acted last year to ease economic sanctions on Syria that had been in place for decades under now-ousted President Bashar Assad. In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rescinded Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, helping pave the way for the latest step. The State Department has also announced plans to reopen the US Embassy in Damascus, which has been closed for 14 years.

With Syria’s removal from the ITAR blacklist, only seven countries remain subject to the policy of denial for US arms exports: Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Venezuela.

### Implications for US Defense Exporters

For US defense manufacturers and exporters, the regulatory change in Washington opens a potential new market that had been entirely off-limits. Syria, devastated by years of civil war and insurgency, is now eligible to apply for licenses to purchase American-made weapons, munitions, and related defense services. Each request will be evaluated individually by the State Department, which can approve, deny, or condition sales based on US national security and foreign policy interests.

The decision signals that the Trump administration views the current Syrian government as sufficiently distinct from the Assad regime to warrant engagement. Syria’s interim president, former rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, overthrew the Assad government nearly two years ago and has since pursued a policy of change that has impressed the administration, according to reports from India Today. His moves have raised hopes of eventual stability in a country that was ravaged by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that engulfed northeastern Syria and western Iraq for years.

Wednesday’s withdrawal of US forces from Iraq may also mean the Syrian government takes on a bigger role in preventing any resurgence of the Islamic State, India Today reported.

### Background and Broader Context

The removal of Syria from the arms denial list is part of a consistent pattern of easing restrictions by Washington. In addition to sanctions relief and the revocation of Syria’s state sponsor of terrorism designation, the administration has also begun the process of reopening diplomatic channels. The US Embassy in Damascus has been closed for 14 years.

The State Department’s Federal Register notice formally amends ITAR to delete Syria from the list of countries subject to a policy of denial. The change applies to all licenses and other approvals for the export of defense articles and services covered by the US Munitions List.

The decision does not guarantee that any specific sale will be approved, but it removes the automatic bar that had prevented US companies from even applying for export licenses to Syria. Defense exporters seeking to sell to Syrian buyers will now need to submit license applications and receive case-by-case determinations.

Only seven countries remain on the so-called ITAR denial blacklist, all of which face automatic rejection of arms export license requests. Syria’s removal leaves that list limited to Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Venezuela.