Washington has approved the sale of a Patriot anti-missile system to Qatar, which was targeted by Iranian strikes during the war that erupted after US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, for more than $4 billion, the State Department announced yesterday (Friday).
Washington has approved the sale of a Patriot missile system to Qatar, which was targeted by Iranian strikes during the war that erupted after US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, for more than $4 billion, the State Department announced yesterday (Friday).
The US also authorized arms sales to Israel and other Middle East allies – Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates – the US diplomacy noted, asking Congress to approve those sales, worth more than $8.6 billion.
These authorizations, given by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, support US “foreign policy and national security objectives,” the State Department said, as the countries that will receive this military equipment have all been targeted by Iranian attacks.
More specifically, the sale of Patriot systems to Qatar is in response to an “urgent need” aimed at “improving the security of a friendly country” facing “current and future threats.”
For its part, Kuwait will receive $2.5 billion worth of integrated command systems.
In addition, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar will be able to buy an Advance Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), with Israel and Qatar paying nearly $1 billion each, and the UAE $147 million.
