Switzerland announced on Thursday that it will not issue new licences for weapons exports to the United States for the duration of the Iran war, invoking a neutrality doctrine older than most of its customers’ governments.

“Exports of war materiel to the US cannot currently be authorised,” the government stated, citing the country’s involvement in the “international armed conflict” in the Middle East. No new licences have been granted since fighting escalated on 28 February.

The numbers are not trivial. The US was Switzerland’s second-largest arms buyer last year, importing $119 million worth of aerial vehicles, ammunition, and hand-held firearms — roughly 10 per cent of total Swiss arms shipments. An interdepartmental expert group will now review existing licences to assess whether neutrality law requires further action.

Two Directions at Once

The timing invites comparison. On the same day Bern shut the arms window, London confirmed it would allow the US to use British bases for defensive operations targeting missile sites in the Strait of Hormuz. Two close American allies, two opposite conclusions about what the Iran conflict demands of them.

Switzerland also closed its airspace to US military flights linked to the war, rejecting two flyover requests last weekend while permitting three others deemed unrelated to hostilities. The approach mirrors a playbook last used during the 2003 Iraq invasion, when Bern imposed similar bans on flights and exports to belligerent nations.

The decision rests on a 1996 federal act requiring export licences to account for neutrality and human rights. A December 2025 reform loosened some restrictions for 25 mostly Western nations — but that change, still subject to a potential referendum through mid-April, was not designed to survive a hot war.

Sources