US shifts Syria arms export policy to case by case review

The U.S. State Department is removing Syria from the list of countries subject to an automatic policy denial for arms-export licenses and related approvals, opening the way for applications involving the country to be reviewed individually. The change does not approve any arms sale or defense-services transaction. The department said it is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, to reflect the revised policy. Under the change, authorities may consider applications for defense articles and services destined for or originating in Syria on a case-by-case licensing basis, rather than deny them automatically under the country-based policy. The revised rule is reported to take effect Thursday, October 1. The policy was authorized by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on August 19, according to the notice described in the reporting. No specific application, license or sale was identified, and the change alone does not establish that any transaction will proceed. The change comes amid a broader shift in U.S. policy toward Syria’s government in Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024.