2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal
On May 20, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed a series of letters of intent for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to purchase arms from the United States totaling US$110 billion immediately,[1] and $350 billion over 10 years.[2][3] The intended purchases include tanks, combat ships, missile defense systems, as well as radar, communications and cybersecurity technology. The transfer was widely seen as a counterbalance against the influence of Iran in the region[4][5] and a "significant" and "historic" expansion of United States relations with Saudi Arabia.[6][7][8][2][9]
Details[edit]
The signing occurred at the Riyadh Summit, and was part of Trump's 2017 series of visits to the Vatican, Saudi Arabia and Israel. It also was related to a $20 billion investment in mostly American infrastructure.[18]
Saudi Arabia signed billions of dollars of deals with U.S. companies in the arms industry and petroleum industry, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Exxon Mobil, Halliburton, Honeywell, McDermott International, Jacobs Engineering Group, National Oilwell Varco, Nabors Industries, Weatherford International, Schlumberger and Dow Chemical.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25]
Saudi Arabia joined The Blackstone Group in May 2017 in a $40 billion fund to invest in stateside infrastructure projects.[26]
American and Saudi Arabian government statements[edit]
The White House hailed the deal as a "significant expansion" of the two nations' "security relationships".[27] The United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described the deal as "historic" and said that it would counter Iran, and urged them to halt support of destabilizing forces in the Middle East,[28][29] although he hinted the United States would be open to discussions.[30]
In December 2018, the Senators in the US voted to end American military assistance for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. The 56-to-41 vote came after the controversial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and thousands of civilian casualties in Yemen. Senator Bernie Sanders, who co-wrote the resolution, said it is the first time Congress had used the law to make clear "that the constitutional responsibility for making war rests with the United States Congress, not the White House. Today, we tell the despotic regime in Saudi Arabia that we will not be part of their military adventurism."[31]
Trump vetoed a resolution on April 16, 2019 that would have ended American support of Saudi Arabia's war with Yemen.[32][33]
On July 24, 2019, Trump vetoed three bills that were meant to stop billions of dollars of arms to Saudi Arabia.[34][35][36]
On September 24, 2020, the Democratic Party introduced a legislation to control the United States foreign arms sales. The legislation was introduced while Trump administration was in discussions, led by Jared Kushner, about the possible sale of F-35s to the UAE. In the past the Trump administration has sold billions of dollars worth of weapons to Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, during their active involvement in the Yemen civil war.[37]
On November 18, 2020, three US senators namely, Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Chris Murphy and Republican Senator Rand Paul announced four separate resolutions in disagreement of President Donald Trump's plan to sell more than $23 billion worth of Reaper drones, F-35 fighter aircraft and air-to-air missiles and other munitions to the UAE.[38]
Reception[edit]
Domestic response[edit]
Tulsi Gabbard—a Democratic Representative from Hawaii—criticized the move, saying that "Saudi Arabia is a country with a devastating record of human rights violations at home and abroad and has a long history of providing support to terrorist organizations that threaten the American people".[39][40] Rand Paul introduced a bill to try to block the plan calling it a "travesty".[41][42][43]
US defense stocks reached all-time highs after the announcement.[44][24][45]
Senator John McCain told Al Jazeera: "The Saudis are in a war in Yemen and they need weapons. You want to win, you need weapons. We are in a war."[46] According to Senator Chris Murphy, "That $110 billion is a mix of old sales and future prospective sales that have not been announced or signed."[46]
International response[edit]
Iran – Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called Saudi Arabia a "cow being milked" by the United States.[47]
Israel – Yuval Steinitz, Minister of National Infrastructures, Energy, and Water Resources, expressed "concern".[48][49]
Saudi Arabia – The Government of Saudi Arabia praised the deal, and it stated that it is a turning point in Saudi–American relations.[50]
Yemen – More than 10,000 Yemeni people protested the deal in Sana'a. Houthis fired a ballistic missile toward the Saudi capital Riyadh.[51][52]