U.S. media reported that U.S. President Trump plans to authorize the sale of nearly $500 million in weapons to Saudi Arabia before leaving office.
On December 24, Al Jazeera quoted Bloomberg as saying that two sources who declined to be named said that the U.S. State Department informed Congress on the 22nd that the State Department was advancing a plan to authorize the sale of precision-guided air-to-surface missiles to Saudi Arabia, with a transaction value of about $478 million.
According to Bloomberg, the U.S. arms dealer Raytheon Technologies will sell weapons directly to Saudi Arabia after obtaining permission.
The Washington Post reported that according to the agreement reached between the United States and Saudi Arabia in early 2019, the weapons will be produced in Saudi Arabia.
Trump has been a strong supporter of Saudi Arabia and has also established a close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The strong US-Saudi Alliance has become the pillar of the Trump administration’s Middle East policy.
U.S. President-elect Biden had previously promised that his government would “reassess” the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia after taking office.
