Govt says no new licences issued for war materiel exports to US since Feb 28 strikes on Iran
Flight deck personnel run to receive a helicopter preparing to land on the flight deck on board the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as it patrols the Arabian Gulf during a Strait of Hormuz transit February 14, 2012. PHOTO: REUTERS
Switzerland on Friday said it would not issue licences for companies to export weapons to the United States due to the ongoing attacks on Iran, citing the country’s 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.
Last weekend, the Swiss government said it had rejected two US flyover requests on Iran-related war flights but permitted three others, also citing Switzerland’s neutrality law.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Switzerland imposed bans on flights over Swiss airspace and weapons exports to countries involved in the war. It later lifted them.
On Friday, the government said that since the Israeli and US strikes on Iran on February 28, no new licences had been issued for exports of war materiel to the US.
It noted that no definitive licences for export of war materiel to Israel have been granted for several years.
The government said a group of experts would regularly review developments on exports of the relevant goods to the US and assess whether steps are required under neutrality law.
