The United States to 'Lift' Ban on Sale of Offensive Weapons to Saudi Arabia

The Financial Times has reported, citing informed sources, that the United States is expected to soon 'lift' the ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. According to the report published on Sunday, June 6, the lifting of the ban on U.S. sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia will take place in the coming weeks. An informed source told the British newspaper that the Biden administration had previously informed Saudi Arabia that it was preparing to lift the arms sanctions against the country. The Biden administration took a hardline stance in 2021, immediately after taking office, against the coalition's attacks led by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen and the heavy civilian casualties, as well as the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, at the Riyadh consulate in Istanbul in 2018. One of the Biden administration's strict measures was to impose restrictions on the sale of certain weapons to Saudi Arabia. For decades, the U.S. has been the largest supplier of military weapons to Saudi Arabia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced last Wednesday that the United States and Saudi Arabia are very close to concluding a series of agreements in the areas of nuclear energy, security cooperation, and defense. All of these are part of a broader bilateral agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Riyadh and Israel. However, the Financial Times notes that the lifting of the ban on the export of offensive weapons is not related to the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Earlier, Bloomberg also reported on the acceleration of negotiations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in recent times and the proximity of the two countries to reaching a 'security agreement.' Bloomberg had written in mid-April that this agreement would provide significant security guarantees to Saudi Arabia and also offer a framework for the potential normalization of future relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The report indicates that in exchange for the guarantees that Washington provides to Riyadh, the U.S. will benefit from strengthening its regional position against the Islamic Republic and China, both politically and economically. Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, confirmed in late September last year in an interview with Fox News that his country and Israel have become 'closer than ever.' However, the outbreak of the Gaza war in mid-October last year overshadowed the revival of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.