WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US State Department approved its first major arms sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under US President Joe Biden with the sale of 280 air-to-air missiles valued at up to $650 million, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon notified Congress of the sale on Thursday. If approved, the deal would be the first sale to Saudi Arabia since the Biden administration adopted a policy of selling only defensive weapons to the Gulf ally.
Despite approval by the State Department, the notification did not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
Assuring “Saudi Arabia has the means to defend itself from Iranian-backed Houthi air attacks,” the State Department spokeswoman said in a statement that the sale of the air-to-air missiles “is fully consistent with the administration’s pledge to lead with diplomacy to end the conflict in Yemen.” After the Trump administration’s cordial ties with Riyadh, a nation with which it has serious human rights issues but which is also among Washington’s closest friends in containing the threat posed by Iran, the Biden administration reevaluated its strategy toward Saudi Arabia.
In addition to 596 LAU-128 Missile Rail Launchers (MRL) and 280 AIM-120C-7/C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), the package would also include replacement parts, containers, support equipment, and engineering and technical support from the US government and contractors.
The communication did not state that discussions had ended or that a contract had been signed, even after the State Department gave its permission.
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