Washington — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has bypassed congressional review procedures to approve military sales totaling more than $8.6 billion to allies in the Middle East.
اضافة اعلان
Emergency Authorization
The U.S. State Department announced the sales nine weeks after the start of the war led by the United States and Israel against Iran, and more than three weeks after a fragile ceasefire in the Iran conflict took effect.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined that an "emergency" exists requiring the immediate completion of these sales, thereby exempting the deals from standard congressional oversight requirements.
Breakdown of Military Sales:
Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems: $4.01 billion for refurbishment services.
Integrated Battle Command Systems: $2.5 billion.
Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS): Multiple deals, including $992.4 million for Israel, another $992.4 million for regional allies, and an additional $147.6 million contract.
Geopolitical Context
The U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28. Tehran responded with attacks on Israel and Gulf states. The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions across the region.
Scrutiny and Human Rights
Washington has faced years of scrutiny regarding its military ties with Middle Eastern countries over their human rights records, which those nations deny violating.
Furthermore, U.S. support for Israel remains under intense pressure from human rights experts due to the offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and a severe hunger crisis. These events have led to assessments by researchers and a UN commission of inquiry suggesting the occurrence of genocide.
(Source: Reuters)
