‘US green lights sale of 3,000 bombs worth $290 million to Saudi Arabia & flurry of other Middle East arms deals’, 29 Dec, 2020, RT.com (the accompanying photo: ‘Fire and smoke billow from an army weapons depot after it was hit by a Saudi air strike in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa’
“The US State Department has approved the possible sale of 3,000 precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, alongside more than $4 billion in arms transfers to other regional states, arguing the deals support “national security.”
The munition sale to Saudi Arabia was authorized by the State Department on Tuesday, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notice, giving the go-ahead for a transfer of 3,000 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs to the Gulf monarchy, worth some $290 million.
The DSCA said the proposed sale would “support US foreign policy and national security objectives” by improving the security of a “friendly country” that promotes “stability” in the Middle East.
The possible deal comes less than a week after the State Department notified Congress that it would issue a license for the sale of 7,500 air-to-ground munitions to the tune of $478 million, allowing Raytheon to directly sell the missiles to the Saudi government.” […]
“The Barack Obama administration – under which Biden served as Vice President – approved billions of dollars in arms deals to the kingdom during its two terms, more than any previous president, according to Reuters, while Biden’s nominee for defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, has been on Raytheon’s board of directors since 2016.”
Or: ‘hand meet glove’?
Now UPI has a different, far more plausible slant: ‘State Dept. approves $300M bomb sale to Saudi Arabia’, Dec. 29, 2020, UPI.com
“The State Department said the munitions will increase Saudi Arabia’s stock of long-range, precision air-to-ground munitions that will improve the nation’s “capability to meet current and future threats.” […]
“President Donald Trump has sought to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia as the kingdom implements new domestic and foreign policies, and last year he deployed additional troops and military equipment to the country amid an increase in attacks the United States blamed on Iran that targeted the kingdom, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In October, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States plans to sell arms to Saudi Arabia to combat Iranian aggression in the region.
Last week, The Washington Post, Bloomberg and The Hill reported citing unnamed sources that State Department officials have notified Congress of its intent to sell Saudi Arabia 7,500 Paveway air-to-ground so-called smart bombs for nearly $500 billion.” […]
“The Trump administration on Tuesday also approved a possible arms deal with Egypt worth $104 million and two possible deals worth $4.2 billion with Kuwait.”
RT.com has it this way:
“Along with the $290 million munitions deal approved on Tuesday, the State Department also gave the green light for a spate of other high-ticket arms sales to neighboring countries, including two transfers to Kuwait worth $4.2 billion for a bevy of Apache attack helicopters and spare missile parts, as well as some $170 million in aircraft components to Egypt. Those sales come amid a surge in weapons deals as the Trump administration enters its final months, authorizing a $23 billion package to the United Arab Emirates and a series of transfers to Taiwan priced at over $22 billion and counting, among others.”
Let’s go see what Mafia Don Pompeo’s up to on Twitter:
breath-taking agitprop:
(cross-posted at caucus99percent.com)
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