President Joe Biden has agreed to lift restrictions on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, reversing a policy introduced early in his administration to strengthen ties with a key partner and counter Iran.
Biden had ordered the halt on the sale of precision-guided munitions and other weapons to place pressure on Riyadh to finish its war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Saudis have kept their a part of the cut price, in accordance with a senior U.S. official who asked to not be identified while discussing a call that has not been publicly announced.
U.S. priorities within the region have also been upended because the October 7 attack by Hamas militants, and the Iran-backed Houthis have roiled the shipping world with attacks on merchant vessels within the Red Sea. Tensions have escalated further following the recent assassination of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran, and administration officials say Iran could attack Israel at any time.
Reuters was the primary to report on Friday’s decision.
There is not any information yet on what weapons might now be used, however the previous delay also included the suspension of the issuance of a proper business license to RTX Corp., formerly generally known as Raytheon, to sell 7,500 precision-guided air-to-ground weapons valued at $478 million to Saudi Arabia.
The decision removes the last remnants of a policy Biden pursued after taking office that downgraded relations with Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The decision was, amongst other things, a protest against the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Saudi Arabia is now seen as too necessary to US goals to finish the war between Israel and Hamas and support the growing conflict with Iran and its proxies. The US can be attempting to negotiate a bigger strategic pact that might provide security guarantees to the dominion and pave a possible path to diplomatic relations with Israel.
The official said Saudi arms sales could be returned to “normal course” with Congress notified and consulted.
Saudi Arabia had already fought against the Houthis for seven years since 2015. The conflict devastated Yemen and claimed an estimated 370,000 lives through fighting and famine.
Officials had indicated for months that Friday’s move was within the works. In June, a number one Senate Democrat said lawmakers would consider restrictions on U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, partly on the request of the White House.
