On September 30, 2026, the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) issued a final rule in the Federal Register that, effective October 1, 2026, revises the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to remove Syria from the list of countries in ITAR § 126.1 for which there is a policy of denial for licenses and other approvals for exports, imports or sales of defense articles and services. Going forward, DDTC will review defense article and defense service transfers to Syria on a case-by-case licensing basis.
This amendment follows other changes and revisions ease sanctions and trade restrictions on Syria by the Departments of Commerce, State and the Treasury after the removal of the Bashar Assad regime in December 2024. This also follows the rescission of the designation of Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, effective August 24, 2026. For additional information on these changes see SmarTrade updates of August 25, 2026, July 9, 2026, November 18, 2025, September 25, 2025, September 3, 2025, August 27, 2025 and others.