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Published image, Reuters
The administration of US President Joe Biden has temporarily frozen arms sales to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia that were approved by former President Donald Trump before stepping down.
A spokesperson for the US State Department said the move was intended to give Biden’s team a chance to review contracts.
The spokesperson added that this is “a routine administrative procedure in the event of a transfer of power, and it shows the administration’s commitment to transparency and good governance”.
Trump had approved a $ 23 billion deal to sell F-35s from Abu Dhabi, after establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.
As for Democratic President Biden, during his election campaign, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the war being waged by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
The administration, which has been in existence for a week, said it plans to end its support for the Saudi-led and UAE-backed offensive in Yemen, which is facing a humanitarian disaster.
The spokesman for the US State Department explained that the temporary suspension of arms deals is intended to “ensure that US arms sales meet our strategic goals of building stronger and better cooperative partners and have more security capabilities ”.
The UAE was supposed to become the first Arab country and the second country in the Middle East, after Israel, to acquire this type of aircraft, after Abu Dhabi agreed to normalize its relations with Israel.
Any eventual stoppage of the deal may raise the question of whether the UAE will continue on the path of normalization with Israel, which is the main achievement Trump can count on in handling the Foreign and Middle Policy dossier. -East.
Democratic lawmakers voiced concerns about the deal to Biden, fearing it could lead to an arms race in the region, but failed in the Senate to block the sale while Trump was in power.
The UAE package also included unarmed drones, as the United States prepared to sell large quantities of ammunition and smart bombs to Saudi Arabia.
Trump has openly supported arms sales on a commercial basis, claiming that the Saudis created jobs for Americans by buying from American manufacturers.
But the new Foreign Minister, Anthony Blinken, said at a hearing for his official approval by Congress that the Saudi attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, had contributed to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
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