US changes defense trade restrictions to Syria

According to the regulation published by the US State Department in the Federal Register, changes were made to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

Thus, Syria was excluded from the list of countries where license applications for defense products and services were generally rejected.

The new regulation does not mean unlimited or automatic weapons sales to Syria.

From now on, US authorities will examine each request for defense products or services to Syria individually and decide on a case-by-case basis whether to grant a license.

In the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that the new defense trade policy was approved on August 19, 2026 and this change was reflected in the legislation.

The decision was the last step in the gradual normalization of relations between the United States and Syria after the overthrow of the Bashar Assad administration in December 2024.

While the Washington administration has recently relaxed some economic and diplomatic restrictions on Damascus, the new Syrian administration has highlighted improving relations with the United States and removing sanctions as one of its primary goals.

The Trump administration had previously eased some economic sanctions against Syria.

The US State Department also began to re-evaluate Syria's status in some security and diplomacy issues, and direct contacts between the two countries increased.

Despite this, the US Embassy in Damascus has been closed since 2012.