Iran war: The US approves $ 9bn ‘immediate’ weapons sale to Israel, UAE, others
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid a fragile ceasefire, that threatens to turn into a full-blown war again anytime, the United States has approved weapons worth nearly USD 9 billion to its close allies Israel, the UAW, Qatar, and Kuwait, the media reported on Saturday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved these expedited arms transfers to allies, bypassing a standard congressional review, so as to rush air defense missiles and laser guidance systems to West Asia as the Iran war ceasefire seems ever more fragile.
The State Department authorized the sale to Israel of 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II All Up Rounds, worth USD 992.4 million and manufactured by BAE Systems.
Kuwait has been cleared to purchase Integrated Battle Command Systems and related equipment worth as much as USD 2.5 billion. Northrop Grumman Corp., RTX Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. are the principal contractors on the potential sale.
The department also endorsed the sale to Qatar of up to 200 Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) interceptors and 300 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors and related equipment valued as high as USD 4.01 billion. Lockheed and RTX are the principal contractors on that purchase.
In a separate deal, Qatar was approved to buy 10,000 APKWS-II all-up-rounds advanced (single variant) and related equipment, for a maximum potential value of USD 992.4 million.
The State Department also authorized the sale to the UAE of as much as USD 147.6 million in APKWS and related equipment.
Rubio, in all of these cases, “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of these weapons, and that such an expedited transfer “is in the national security interests of the United States,” according to statements from the department.
Generally, potential arms purchases are subject to a congressional review period, and the quantities and price are finalized during negotiations between customers and vendors. Rubio had previously approved expedited weapons sales to the West Asian allies in March.
After the US and Israel began their military campaign against Iran on February 28, several countries in the region came under attack by Iranian drones and missiles.
The vital Strait of Hormuz has been closed since the early days of the conflict, touching off a global energy crisis, and negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain at a standstill. That has heightened fears that aerial assaults could soon resume.
