Arms Sales

The debate over the recent U.S. offer to sell M1A2 Abrams battle tanks to Saudi Arabia has raised the question of Saudi dependency on U.S. equipment for its defense needs in general and for the prosecution of its war in Yemen in particular. Saudi Arabia has requested up to 153 tanks, 20 of which have been described by the Pentagon as being destined to replenish vehicles damaged in the war in Yemen. The deal also includes related equipment, including machine guns, grenade launchers, night vision devices, and ammunition.

The incursion of an Israeli-made unmanned air vehicle into that nation’s airspace from inside Syria on 17 July has provided the authorities in Washington with another reason to block future sales of such equipment to Moscow.

More than 60 lawmakers in the House are fighting to delay the Obama administration's planned sale of $1.15 billion in arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia, citing the growing number of civilian casualties in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led military coalition.

The Saudi foreign minister is to brief British MPs personally to urge them not to ban UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia in light of UN claims that British weapons were used to conduct indiscriminate attacks in Yemen on hospitals, markets and cities. The Westminster briefing by Adel Al-Jubeir on Wednesday comes hours before the select committee on the control of arms exports meets to decide whether to call for a ban on arms sales.