Joe Biden Freezes Billions USD Of Arms Sales Transactions To Saudi Arabia And UAE

JAKARTA - The United States is conducting a review of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which were endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

In its inaugural press release Wednesday, January 27 local time, Blinken said the review was aimed at ensuring the consideration of decisions and US foreign relations.

"To ensure that what is being considered as something that advances our strategic goals and advances our foreign policy," Blinken told Al Jazeera.

"This is what we are doing now. This is typical of a new government," he added.

The Joe Biden administration has imposed a temporary freeze on arms sales deals to Saudi Arabia and the UAE worth billions of dollars in arms sales to Al Jazeera. Among these consisted of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and F-35 fighters to the UAE.

The move comes one week after Biden, who had pledged to "reassess" Washington's relationship with Riyadh, was sworn as US President. Since taking office, Biden has signed a series of Executive Orders to review or reverse some of former President Donald Trump's key policies.

Trump has looked at the close US relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, in line with his strong support for Israel and his campaign of 'maximum pressure' against Iran.

In May 2019, the former US president declared a national state of emergency due to tensions with Iran to avoid objections from Congress about USD 8 billion worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan.

The Trump administration also allowed the sale of USD 290 million worth of small ammunition to Saudi Arabia in late December last year.

The Trump administration also notified Congress in November of approving the sale of more than USD 23 billion worth of advanced weapons systems, including F-35 fighter jets and armed drones, to the UAE.

The announcement comes shortly after the UAE government agreed to normalize relations with Israel in a US-brokered deal.

"This is an acknowledgment of our deepening relationship and the UAE's need for advanced defense capabilities, to deter and defend against the growing threat from Iran," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement at the time.

As previously reported, the signing of the arms purchase by the UAE was carried out only hours before Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20. The items consist of 50 F-35 fighter jets and 18 armed drones.