Switzerland has suspended all weapons exports to the United States, invoking its long‑held tradition of neutrality as the Iran conflict intensifies, according to Reuters. The Swiss government announced Friday that no new licences for arms sales to Washington have been issued since late February, when U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran.
“The export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorised for the duration of the conflict,” the government said in a written statement. The decision, officials emphasized, reflects Switzerland’s commitment to staying outside foreign wars, especially one now threatening to engulf much of the Middle East.
The statement follows a weekend revelation that Bern had rejected two U.S. flight requests related to Iran‑linked military operations, though it permitted three others. Each decision, the government explained, was judged under strict neutrality laws that date back centuries and have guided the nation through both world wars.
Switzerland has long walked a careful line between economic cooperation and moral restraint in global conflicts. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, it imposed similar bans on overflights and weapons exports to warring nations, restrictions that were later lifted once fighting subsided.
This time, the ban comes as global tension over Iran mounts. By Swiss law, weapons sales to participants in an international armed conflict are considered incompatible with neutrality, even if the buyer is a long‑standing partner like the United States.
The government added that since February 28, the day U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated attacks on Iranian sites, no new licences for American arms exports have been approved. It also noted that no definitive export permits to Israel have been granted for years.
A panel of experts will continuously review the situation and advise whether further steps are needed to keep Switzerland in line with its neutrality obligations. For now, the tiny Alpine nation once again finds itself holding a delicate balance, choosing principle over power as war clouds gather far beyond its borders.
