The intention of the newly elected American president has been confirmed Joe Biden to carry on the sale of 23 billion dollars worth of arms to the United Arab Emirates. This was announced by a spokesman for the State Department. The revision that led the new US administration to suspend the contract that was approved last November was therefore concluded by then President Donald Trump within the framework of the Abrahamic Agreements, which had seen the Emirates normalize relations with Israel.
The spokesman clarified in a statement that the administration “is continuing to examine the details and consultations with Emirati officials” regarding the use of the transferred weapons, which include up to 18 MQ-9B drones and fifty F-35s last generation. The contract had been met with some criticism from Congress, both for Emirati involvement in the war in Yemen, which caused the most serious ongoing humanitarian crisis in the world, and for fear that Israel will lose military-technological supremacy in the area. However, the Jewish state has made it known that it has nothing to object to the supplies, which will not start before 2025.
The State Department spokesman stressed that Washington will ensure that the weapons sold “are properly secured and used in a manner that respects human rights and complies fully with the rules of armed conflict.” However, the revision of the contracts has not yet been completed for the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia stipulated by the previous administration. Biden is considering limiting military contracts with Riyadh to a purely “defensive” dimension.