Oil, weapons, the United States, and the Gulf Arab monarchies… the foundation of relations, the ‘bread and butter’ going back at least half-a-century which is still going strong.
With President Donald Trump kicking off his Mideast tour in Saudi Arabia, and set to travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next, the State Department has unveiled a weapons sale of over $1.4 billion to the United Arab Emirates.
“The sale, which the State Department said was approved and notified to Congress, includes $1.3 billion for Chinook helicopters and $130 million for parts and support for F-16 fighter jets,” CNN writes.
The UAE will be the final stop in Trump’s Middle East tour, or what the White House described as his “historic return to the Middle East”.
Of course, major arms sale are also expected for Saudi Arabia – and the UAE and Saudis often act in concert when it comes to defense needs, as was the case during the coalition’s war on Yemen in the last decade.
