The Joe Biden administration has successfully made its first major weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. A sale of air-to-air missiles worth $650 million has been finalized after presidential approval, which did not require congressional approval but can be blocked by lawmakers in the House of representatives and Senate by passing a disapproval bill.
The Pentagon stated that “This proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political and economic progress in the Middle East”
The AIM-120C-7/C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) will be contracted by Raytheon, a Massachusetts-based company.
The US reasoning for this sale is “cross border attacks” on the kingdom. These attacks endanger US troops and 70,000 US citizens in the country, it said. In September, a $500 million helicopter maintenance deal for Saudi Arabia was approved by the US as well.
.@StateDept authorizes a proposed Foreign Military Sale #FMS to #SaudiArabia for their purchase of up to 280 AIM-120C-7/C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and related equipment for an estimated cost of up to $650 million. #FMSUpdate -- https://t.co/yRFGtkrFPC pic.twitter.com/TsoBgJrbSg
— Political-Military Affairs, US Dept of State (@StateDeptPM) November 4, 2021
A State Department spokesperson said that the sale is “fully consistent with the Administration’s pledge … to lead with diplomacy to end the conflict in Yemen while also ensuring Saudi Arabia has the means to defend itself from Iranian-backed Houthi air attacks”.
Arms Sale Frozen To Saudi Coalition Over Yemen Airstrikes
Since 2015, a Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Yemen, leading to a massive humanitarian crisis. There was widespread criticism of Western arms sales and funding for the ‘war’ which was leading to atrocities and war crimes. The UNICEF has said that 21 million people require humanitarian assistance after 6 years of the war.
Last year, the United Nations said that 233,000 had been killed in the conflict. Saudi Arabia’s stance is that the Houthi rebels operating inside Yemen are Iranian proxies and pose a national security threat to it.
The Biden administration had frozen arms sales to Saudi Arabia in January 2021. During his presidential run, Joe Biden had referred to the kingdom as a “pariah” and strongly objected to its war in Yemen.
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