US State Department / Directorate of Defense Trade Controls

Rule Changes

As of October 2026: Administers ITAR and controls defense trade licenses

Syria is no longer on the US list of countries barred from buying American weapons. The State Department amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) on October 1, 2026, so defense export requests from Damascus now get case-by-case review instead of automatic denial.

Updated Oct 3