Biden's administration freezes arm deals with KSA and UAE

Shafaq News/ Biden's administration has imposed a temporary freeze on U.S. arms deals with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as it reviews multi-billions weapons transactions approved by former President Donald Trump.

Wall Street Journal quoted a U.S. Official as saying that the review includes the sale of precision-guided munitions to Riyadh as well as top-line F-35 fighters to Abu Dhabi, a deal that Washington approved as part of the Abraham Accords, in which the Emirates established diplomatic relations with Israel.

The new administration is reviewing the sales but has not made any determination about whether they will actually go through, the State Department said. It called the pause “a routine administrative action” that most incoming administrations take with large-scale arms sales.

A State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday the administration is "temporarily pausing the implementation" of a number of defense sales "to allow incoming leadership an opportunity to review."

"This is a routine administrative action typical to most any transition, and demonstrates the administration's commitment to transparency and good governance," the spokesperson said.

US officials said it is not surprising that a new administration reviews arms sales approved by the previous administration, and that despite the temporary pause, many deals were likely to eventually go forward.

 In keeping with Biden’s pledges, Washington is seeking to ensure that US weapons are not used to reinforce the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, where the conflict with the "Ansar Allah" group has killed thousands of civilians and spreads hunger, The Wall Street Journal reported.