The United States has approved more than $8.6 billion in arms sales to its key Middle Eastern allies after secretly bypassing Congress, just a few days after Iran shared its proposal to end the War with Pakistani mediators.
According to Al Jazeera, the approvals were issued by the US State Department under the Trump administration, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoking emergency authority to bypass the usual congressional review process required for major foreign weapons deals.
The package includes defense systems and precision weapons for Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, all of which have been affected by the ongoing war dynamics in the region.
In a post on Truth Social earlier today, Donald Trump said he would soon review the proposal recently sent by Iran, but suggested he did not believe it would be acceptable. He argued that Iran had not yet “paid a big enough price” for its actions over the past 47 years, which he described as harmful to humanity and the world.
Pro-US countries in the region had earlier requested emergency replenishment of air defense systems after facing missile and drone attacks on American bases in the region.
Qatar alone is set to receive more than $4 billion in Patriot missile defense support, while Kuwait will get a new defense system worth $2.5 billion.
The fast-tracked arms deals have also drawn criticism in Washington over the lack of congressional oversight.
This is one of the largest emergency-authorized weapons packages in recent months.