Syria removed from US arms export ban list

What the report says

The United States has removed Syria from a list of countries barred from buying or importing US weapons, further easing restrictions as Washington deepens engagement with Damascus, Al Jazeera reported on 30 Sep. The State Department said the change updates arms-export rules so that proposed sales or transfers can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, rather than being automatically denied.

According to the report, the policy shift was approved on 19 Aug and formally codified through an amendment to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The move follows a series of steps by the Trump administration to loosen measures imposed during the Assad era, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Dec 2024. Al Jazeera said the current Syrian leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been seeking closer ties with the US and relief from sanctions to support postwar recovery.

The publication noted that US officials have already eased some economic sanctions, removed Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in Aug, and said earlier this year that the American embassy in Damascus could eventually reopen. More broadly, the change signals a continued shift in US policy toward Syria after years of isolation and conflict, with implications for reconstruction, diplomacy and military cooperation.