Overview
- The State Department published an ITAR amendment in the Federal Register on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, removing Syria from the list of countries subject to an automatic policy of denial for U.S. arms exports.
- Under the change, license requests from Syria will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis but will still need State Department approval and are not guaranteed to result in sales.
- This step follows months of U.S. policy shifts that eased economic sanctions, revoked Syria’s state-sponsor-of-terrorism designation in August, and included plans to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Damascus.
- U.S. officials and analysts say the move reshapes regional security responsibilities because a recent U.S. withdrawal from Iraq could increase Damascus’s role in countering an Islamic State resurgence.
- The change is selective rather than wholesale: seven other countries remain on ITAR’s policy-of-denial list, and Washington cites reforms by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa as a key reason for the U.S. shift.