Joe Biden reverses policy on arms sales to Saudi Arabia

Biden ordered a freeze on the sale of precision-guided munitions and other weapons to pressure Riyadh to end its war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Saudis have fulfilled their end of the bargain, according to a senior U.S. official who asked not to be identified, discussing a decision that has not been publicly announced.

US priorities in the region have also shifted since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 and the Iran-backed Houthis upended the maritime world with attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. Tensions have risen further after the recent assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran, and officials say Iran could strike Israel at any time.

Friday’s decision was first reported by Reuters.

No word yet on what weapons might go forward. But the previous pause included the suspension of a formal commercial license to RTX Corp., formerly known as Raytheon, to sell 7,500 precision-guided air-to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia, worth $478 million.

The decision removes the last vestiges of a policy Biden imposed to degrade ties with Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, after he took office in part to protest the 2018 killing of the Washington columnist Post Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate. in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia is now considered too important to US goals of ending the Israel-Hamas war and the growing conflict with Iran and its proxies. The US has also sought to conclude a larger strategic pact that would provide security guarantees to the kingdom and establish a possible path to diplomatic ties with Israel.

The official said Saudi arms sales would be returned to the “regular order,” with Congress being notified and consulted.

Saudi Arabia previously fought the Houthis for seven years starting in 2015 in a conflict that has devastated Yemen, leaving an estimated 370,000 people dead from fighting and starvation.

Officials have signaled for months that Friday’s move was in the works. In June, a top Senate Democrat said lawmakers were reviewing limits on U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, in part at the request of the White House.