Saudi Arabia and Peru are now on the U.S. list of major non-NATO allies. The State Department made the change in a final rule amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), published in the Federal Register on September 18, 2026.
The same rule does more than add two names. It clarifies several policy-of-denial provisions, updates the country-specific policies for Ethiopia and Somalia, and makes a series of miscellaneous corrections. ITAR is the framework that governs the export, temporary import and brokering of defense articles and services.
What the status brings
ITAR has long been the main legal tool for controlling the flow of American defense technology. Major non-NATO ally status gives qualifying countries streamlined procurement and security cooperation benefits. Naming Saudi Arabia and Peru widens the group of countries eligible for that preferential treatment.
POTUS Watch Daily, which analyzed the rule, said Riyadh’s strategic weight and defense spending made it a natural candidate. It described Peru’s growing defense modernization agenda as a foothold in a region long dominated by other major powers. In its reading, the designation is likely to speed U.S. arms sales and joint development programs with Saudi Arabia. In Latin America, it could mean more joint exercises, technology transfers and interoperability work, beyond partners such as Colombia and Brazil.
Denial rules and industry
The clarified denial language targets a long-running irritation. Defense exporters have reported that denial criteria were applied inconsistently in earlier licensing reviews. Clearer standards, the analysis said, should make outcomes more predictable and speed legitimate deals, while tightening enforcement where the risk of technology reaching adversaries is judged unacceptable.
The Ethiopia and Somalia updates point to continued U.S. attention on the Horn of Africa, where instability and great-power competition overlap.
Open questions
The rule does not say whether other countries could be named major non-NATO allies soon. Nor does it spell out the criteria for any future clarification of the denial provisions, which leaves industry groups and congressional overseers with more to watch. Further amendments that lengthen the ally list or tighten denial standards would show which way policy is moving.
