American Jewish Committee urges permanent end to US arms embargo on Cyprus
A leading American Jewish organisation has called for the United States to permanently lift its arms embargo on Cyprus, arguing that the island’s security is now central to stability in the Levant.
In a joint article published in Kathimerini, the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutch, and the executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, Endy Zemenides, said Washington should move to definitively remove the restrictions.
They argued that Cyprus has become an increasingly important strategic partner for the United States and its allies.
“The security of Cyprus and its role as a factor of stability in the region are inextricably linked to the broader effort to counter terrorist networks supported by the Iranian regime,” the two officials wrote.
The article also pointed to threats previously issued by former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who in 2024 warned that Cyprus could be considered “part of the war” if Israeli military operations against Lebanon were launched from the island.
According to the authors, recent developments in the region mean such warnings can no longer be treated as hypothetical, referring to incidents involving Iranian activity near British military facilities on Cypriot territory.
They argued that Cyprus’ geographical location, roughly 235 miles from Israel, places it at the centre of cooperation linking Europe and the Middle East.
The island has been involved in evacuation efforts, humanitarian missions and energy cooperation with regional partners including Greece and Israel.
The United States imposed an arms embargo on Cyprus in 1987 in an effort to encourage reunification of the island after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
Deutch and Zemenides argued that the policy instead pushed Cyprus to procure alternative weapons systems, including Russian equipment, limiting deeper defence cooperation with western partners.
Although the Eastern Mediterranean security and energy partnership act allows the embargo to be lifted annually under certain conditions, they said the yearly renewal process creates uncertainty and complicates long-term defence planning.