Switzerland will halt all arms exports to the US for as long as the war with Iran continues on grounds of neutrality.
“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 statement.
The move will affect potential future deals, with arms already provided as part of the existing agreements not being used as part of the war in Iran, the Swiss government said.
This comes while Switzerland and the US are still negotiating the final details of the deal that would see tariffs applied to Swiss goods come down from 39 to 15 per cent, a deal the US hoped to seal by the end of March, Reuters reported in February.
According to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, the local government’s stance could stem from the fact that any new dispute could result in conflict with US President Donald Trump and a possible change of stance in the US.
The Swiss policy has been dictated by the principle of neutrality, which affects countries involved in armed conflicts regardless of the circumstances.
The country has not exported war material to Israel and Iran for several years. Countries in possession of Swiss weapons were also not permitted to send them to Ukraine due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Bern exported some 95 million Swiss Francs ($120 million, €104 million) to the US in 2025, making it Switzerland’s second-largest customer of arms and military components after Germany.