Title: US considers lifting restrictions on arms sales to Saudi Arabia
Introduction :
According to US officials cited by CNN, the United States is close to facilitating the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. The move is reportedly driven by the Biden administration’s belief that the kingdom has respected a U.S.- and U.N.-brokered ceasefire with Yemen for nearly two years. This announcement would mark a reversal from President Biden’s initial position, who froze the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia at the start of his term.
Context :
The war in Yemen between a Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis has claimed more than 100,000 lives, according to activist groups. Faced with this situation, President Biden decided to suspend the sale of offensive weapons, such as precision guided munitions, to Saudi Arabia. However, in March 2022, a US-UN sponsored ceasefire was agreed between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, which appears to have been respected so far.
Saudi Arabia’s compliance with the agreement:
According to a US official interviewed by CNN, this relative calm in Yemen for almost two years is unprecedented and is the result of US diplomacy and Saudi Arabia’s constructive engagement with the Houthis, Omanis and others. local actors. Saudi Arabia would therefore have fulfilled its commitments under the ceasefire agreement, which pushes the United States to reconsider its position on the sale of offensive weapons.
Saudi Arabia’s precedents and demands:
In 2016, former President Barack Obama banned the sale of precision military technology to Saudi Arabia, following a Saudi airstrike on a funeral hall in Yemen that killed 155 people. This ban was lifted in March 2017 by the Trump administration. A 2018 CNN investigation found that the 500-pound bomb used by Saudi Arabia, which killed dozens of children in Yemen, was supplied by the United States. That raised questions about the use of U.S.-supplied weapons and reignited calls from U.S. lawmakers for tighter restrictions and controls on arms sales to the Saudi kingdom.
Conclusion :
Although the lifting of restrictions on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia has not yet been formalized and no decision was made immediately, Saudi officials recently urged U.S. lawmakers to approve the sale once the freeze is lifted by the Biden administration. The request comes amid heightened tensions in the region, including the war between Israel and Hamas, as well as attacks by Iranian-backed militias in Yemen and attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Iraq. Syria. The United States must now weigh the geopolitical implications and interests at stake before making a final decision. The situation therefore remains to be monitored closely.