US greenlights massive $16 billion weapons deal with Middle Eastern allies amid Iran tensions

The United States has given the green light to a massive $16.46 billion military sales package to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, two Gulf nations reeling from the aftermath of the Iran conflict, with the announcement made on Thursday.

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This development comes on the heels of a US-Israeli air campaign launched late last month, which prompted Iran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks that have resulted in casualties and destruction across various Gulf countries, forcing them to divert significant military resources to counter these attacks.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made a formal determination that an emergency situation exists, necessitating the immediate sale of military equipment to these countries, thereby bypassing the need for Congressional approval, as he provided detailed justification for this decision.

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The largest single transaction is the sale of lower-tier air and missile defense sensor radars to Kuwait, valued at $8 billion, according to the State Department, with these systems designed to track high-speed targets and provide data to a missile defense network.

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The next largest sale is to the United Arab Emirates, with a long-range discrimination radar and related equipment valued at $4.5 billion, as announced by the State Department, which will enable the country to track ballistic missile threats.

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The UAE has also received approval to purchase systems designed to counter small, unmanned aircraft at a cost of $2.1 billion, as well as advanced air-to-air missiles for $1.22 billion, and F-16 warplane munitions and upgrades for $644 million.