Washington - Saba: The US Department of War (the Pentagon) announced its approval of the sale of weapons and ammunition to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE with a total value exceeding $ 2.2 billion.
In the details of the deal with the UAE, the Pentagon stated in a statement last night that a deal worth $ 1.2 billion was approved, including the purchase of 259 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), 1,554 M31A1 missile units, and 203 Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).
The deal also includes training programs, software development, and engineering and logistical support services.
The arms deal comes weeks after US President Joe Biden received his Emirati counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the White House.
As for the other deal with Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said: It includes the sale of 220 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder tactical missiles worth $252 million, including technical support and training programs.
It also includes approval to sell artillery and tank ammunition, including ten thousand M456 105mm anti-tank shells worth $139 million.
The deal includes the sale of 2,503 Hellfire II missiles (AGM-114R3), in addition to technical and logistical support programs worth $655 million.
In this context, the Pentagon stated that "these deals enhance the foreign policy and national security of the United States, by supporting the security of its regional partners in the face of future and current threats." According to him.
The Pentagon confirmed that these deals "will not affect the basic military balance in the region."
US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel announced in August 2024 that the United States would resume offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia. This decision, according to Reuters, ends more than three years of US allegations about pressuring Saudi Arabia to end the aggression on Yemen, after Biden adopted a position to stop arms sales to the Saudi army in 2021.
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