Biden Administration Lifts Ban on Offensive Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia

by bollywoodfever · 09/08/2024

The Biden administration lifts a three-year ban on U.S. sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, following progress in the Yemen conflict and a U.N.-led truce.

Bollywood Fever: The Biden administration has decided to lift a ban on U.S. sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, reversing a three-year policy aimed at pressuring the Kingdom to deescalate the war in Yemen, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The administration briefed Congress on its decision this week, and sales could resume as early as next week, according to a congressional aide. “The Saudis have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours, returning these cases to regular order through appropriate congressional notification and consultation,” said a senior Biden administration official.

President Biden will sign Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets

The ban was initially implemented in 2021 as part of Biden’s tougher stance on Saudi Arabia due to its military campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which led to significant civilian casualties. However, since a U.N.-led truce in March 2022, Saudi airstrikes in Yemen have ceased, and cross-border attacks from Yemen into the Kingdom have largely stopped, according to the administration official.

Yemen’s war, which began in 2015, is considered one of the key proxy conflicts between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The conflict, sparked by the Houthis’ ousting of a Saudi-backed government in Sanaa in late 2014, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and left 80% of Yemen’s population reliant on humanitarian aid.

The decision to lift the ban marks a significant shift in U.S. policy, reflecting the progress made in reducing hostilities in Yemen and the Kingdom’s compliance with the truce.