U.S. sells over 120, 000 precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, UAE

SANAA, May 23 (YPA) – The US President Donald Trump’s administration has asked Congress to review the sale of more than 120,000 precision-guided munitions to the allies Saudi Arabian and UAE,  Reuters news agency quoted sources as saying.

Sources in the administration and Congress confirmed that a 40-day informal review of the sale of munitions to the two States is underway, according to Reuters.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee were briefed on the matter, and lawmakers asked the administration for more information, which a congressional aide said had not yet been provided.

Saudi and Emirati officials have not yet responded to requests for comments. The defense and foreign ministries do not comment on planned arms sales before a formal notification is sent to Congress.

Raytheon is the largest manufacturer of precision munitions in the United States. An official declined to comment.

The issue is likely to be raised this week when the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is giving testimony before the foreign affairs and foreign relations committees for the first time since the Senate confirmed the former CIA chief’s nomination for his new post last month.

The Trump administration last year agreed to sell about $ 7 billion worth of precision-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia.

The deal raised the concerns of some members of Congress over the use of US weapons in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen and thousands of civilians have been killed there since March 2015.