Media Wire

US says to lift ban on offensive arms sales to Saudi Arabia

The administration of President Joe Biden has decided to lift a ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, the State Department announced on Friday, reversing a three-year-old policy to pressure Riyadh to wind down the Yemen war.

The State Department was lifting its suspension on certain transfers of air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia, a senior department official confirmed.

“We will consider new transfers on a typical case-by-case basis consistent with the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy,” the official added.

Reuters was first to report the decision earlier, citing five sources.

The administration briefed Congress this week on its decision to lift the ban, a congressional aide said. One source stated sales could resume as early as next week. The US government was moving ahead on Friday afternoon with notifications about a sale, a person briefed on the matter noted.

“The Saudis have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours,” a senior Biden administration official added.

Under US law, major international weapons deals must be reviewed by members of Congress before they are made final. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have questioned the provision of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia in recent years, citing issues including the toll on civilians of its campaign in Yemen and a range of human rights concerns.

But that opposition has softened amid turmoil in the Middle East following Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel and because of changes in the conduct of the campaign in Yemen.

Since March 2022 – when the Saudis and Houthis entered into a UN-led truce – there have not been any Saudi airstrikes in Yemen and cross-border fire from Yemen into the kingdom has largely stopped, the administration official said.

“We also note the positive steps that the Saudi Ministry of Defense have taken over the past three years to substantially improve their civilian harm mitigation processes, in part thanks to the work of US trainers and advisors,” the State Department official added.

Biden adopted the tougher stance on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia in 2021, citing the kingdom’s campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which has inflicted heavy civilian casualties. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people and left 80% of Yemen’s population dependent on humanitarian aid.

Ties between the kingdom and the United States have warmed since then, as Washington has worked more closely with Riyadh in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack to devise a plan for post-war Gaza.

The Biden administration also has been negotiating a defense pact and an agreement for civil nuclear cooperation with Riyadh as part of a broad deal that envisions Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel, although that remains an elusive goal.

IFP Media Wire

Reports and views published in the Media Wire section have been retrieved from other news agencies and websites, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website. The IFP may change the headlines of the reports in a bid to make them compatible with its own style of covering Iran News, and does not make any changes to the content. The source and URL of all reports and news stories are mentioned at the bottom of each article.

Recent Posts

Unscheduled visit by Qatari prime minister to Tehran sparks speculation

Reports emerged by Iranian daily Donya-e Eqtesad suggest that the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister…

14 hours ago

ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu, Gallant for ‘war crimes’ in Gaza

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,…

14 hours ago

Iran to respond to Europe’s “non-technical” move: Foreign Minister

As France, Germany, and the United Kingdom submit an anti-Iran draft resolution to the International…

15 hours ago

President Pezeshkian criticizes western hypocrisy on human rights

During his visit to Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered sharp criticism…

15 hours ago

Nearly 90 killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza

Israel has unleashed a series of air attacks on the Gaza Strip that killed nearly…

15 hours ago

Anti-Iran human rights resolution at UNGA politically-motivated: Spokesman

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has censured as politically-motivated and unjustified the adoption of a…

16 hours ago