The move comes as the Swiss government also closed its airspace to US military flights over direct links to the Iran war.
Published on 20 March 2026
Switzerland has said it will not issue licenses to companies to export arms to the United States because of its ongoing war on Iran, citing the country’s long-standing principle of neutrality.
“The export of munitions to countries involved in an international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorized for the duration of the conflict,” the government said in a statement on Friday.
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“The export of munitions to the United States cannot be authorized at this time,” it said.
The announcement comes as the US-Israel war over Iran nears the three-week mark, causing a deep humanitarian crisis across the wider Middle East and sending global energy prices soaring.
It also follows the decision by the Swiss government to close its airspace to US military flights directly linked to the Iran war.
Last weekend, it said it had rejected two US flyover requests over Iran-related war flights, but allowed three others, citing Switzerland’s neutrality law.
A Swiss federal act, approved in 1996, stipulates that the import, export and transit of munitions and related technology requires an export license based on the principles of human rights and neutrality.
Since the start of the Iran war on February 28, Switzerland said it has not issued any new export licenses to the US.
The government also noted that Israel has not been granted any definitive license to export munitions for many years and the same applies to Iran.
It said existing US licenses would now face regular review by a group of experts to assess whether action is needed under the neutrality law.
Exports of dual-use and specific military items will also be regularly reviewed by the Expert Group.
“A restrictive approach is already in place with respect to Israel,” the government said.
The US was the second-largest importer of Swiss arms, with sales of $119 million (94.2 million francs) last year, according to government data.
The Swiss government previously blocked allies from sending Swiss-made equipment to Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian invasion starting in 2022.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Switzerland imposed bans on flights over Swiss airspace and on arms exports to countries involved in the war, but later lifted them.
