BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO LIFT ARMS EMBARGO ON SAUDI ARABIA: REPORT

Wed 29 May 2024:

Relations between Saudi Arabia and the US are expected to improve as the latter is mulling lifting the ban on selling offensive weapons to the kingdom state in coming weeks, Financial Times has reported citing US officials. US President Joe Biden had introduced these restrictions three years ago shortly after entering the White House, in line with his long-held vow to make Saudi Arabia a ‘pariah’ state. Biden had promised to punish Saudi Arabia and its de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the alleged use of US-made weapons in attacks against Yemen civilians.

Saudi Arabia had entered the Yemen conflict nine years ago in a bid to oust the Iran-backed Houthi group but largely remained unsuccessful. In 2022, the UN brokered a peace deal there and Riyadh has largely refrained from involving itself in the conflict since then.

According to the Financial Times, the US has already conveyed its intention to lift the ban on Saudi Arabia, one of the country’s largest arms export destinations and a traditional ally in West Asia.

More bilateral deals coming

According to US officials, scores of bilateral deals are expected to be finalised in the coming weeks, including a defence pact and US cooperation on the kingdom’s nascent civilian nuclear programme.

The US-Saudi deals might also pave the way for the renewal of Saudi-Israel normalisation talks. However, a US official made clear to the Financial Times that the two aspects were not interlinked.

Yemen peace talks stalled

Yemen talks stalked after Iran-backed Hamas launched terror attacks in Israel on October 7. The Houthis have also supported Hamas’ campaign against Israel over the past months by disrupting flows through one of the world’s key maritime trade routes in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

However, Saudi Arabia has continued engaging with a UN-mediated Yemeni peace process. Riyadh even refrained from joining a US-led maritime task force against Houthis, in a bid to send a clear message to the Iranian proxy that it didn’t want to irk them.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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